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The 2010 NPT Review Conference was an "incremental" rather than a "great" success because a number of states found ways to dilute the language in the final consensus document.
A nuclear-test-free zone in the Middle East would be a realistic and practical way to lower regional tensions.
The agreement reached by Iran, Turkey, and Brazil to ship ship some of Iran's low-enriched uranium to Turkey is similar to the nuclear fuel deal negotiated last year, but Iran's nuclear capabilities have since progressed and the new agreement may not satisfy the United States and its allies.
Preventing the civilian nuclear fuel cycle from contributing to proliferation is an integral part of the disarmament challenge. The nuclear industry should participate positively in efforts to advance nonproliferation tools rather than seek to distance itself from this challenge.
Conditioning Japanese nuclear cooperation with India on India's nuclear testing restraint would be a reasonable compromise among Japanese interests and among those of its foreign nuclear partners and India, and a significant gain over the status quo.
The U.S. Nuclear Posture Review defines China as a partner for international cooperation, but also expresses concerns about the modernization of China's nuclear arsenal, the lack of transparency, and its future intentions.
It is difficult to predict how public opinion will affect disarmament dynamics. However, it could act as a brake on disarmament progress rather than as an accelerator.
Neither Australia nor Japan speaks for the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, but as co-chairs of the Commission their goals complement the Obama administration's Nuclear Posture Review in more ways than one.
The 2010 NPT Review Conference is not a make-or-break moment for the nonproliferation regime. Countries should realize that they each have an opportunity to create positive momentum for further strengthening the regime after the Review Conference.
While Israel is likely sympathetic to the idea of achieving a world without nuclear weapons, it remains agnostic about the prospects of a nuclear-free world and realistic about the complicated process.