Importance of a CTB for the Durability of the NPT

Abstract

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), signed in 1968, is a unique international document in that it prohibits possession of nuclear weapons—the most destructive weapons yet invented—by an overwhelming majority of states, while tolerating retention of the same weapons by a handful of states. However, the Treaty is meant to be only a transitional measure; its ultimate goal is to achieve global nuclear disarmament. As a step towards this goal, the parties to the NPT undertook to cease the nuclear arms race. The negotiating history, which is reflected in the preamble to the Treaty, and the official statements made during the NPT Review Conferences, suggest that the relevant NPT clause was understood by the signatories as requiring a series of arms control measures, the most important of which was the termination of nuclear test explosions. Demands to prohibit these explosions date back to the beginning of the nuclear era. So far, however, only partial bans have been achieved.