(In)efficiency of the international nonproliferation regime of nuclear weapons

Nuclear weapons are a scourge affecting the international community as a whole, without distinction between countries, and the consequences of their potential use would be devastating. Since the Cold War, it has become necessary to design appropriate deterrent mechanisms to guarantee security in the international arena. However, the nuclear non-proliferation regime, although it limited the hyperbolization of the nuclear factor in a certain historical period, could not fully fulfill its second task. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force on 5 March 1970, is the fundamental internationally binding agreement to reduce nuclear proliferation and has the most support in the history of any nuclear-related treaty. The suspension of the Russian Federation’s participation in the Strategic Offensive Weapons Treaty is a direct challenge to international security. Nuclear proliferation is, today, one of the main concerns in the field of international relations. Sufficient tools exist to reach an effective political agreement to enable meaningful reform and strengthening of the NPT by reducing proliferation. The only thing missing is the political will to start the process.