An overview of the history and politics of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in Southeast Asia.

By ILPI

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An overview of the history and politics of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in Africa

By ILPI

This article provides an overview of the history and politics of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in Africa. It explores the process that led to the establishment of an African nuclear-weapon-free zone, and discusses the terms of its founding document, the Pelindaba Treaty. It also discusses the role of African states in recent and on-going disarmament processes such as the review cycle of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Humanitarian Initiative. The article concludes with a discussion of the future of African states’ engagement in the movement towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

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An overview of the history and politics of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean

By ILPI

This article provides an overview of the history and politics of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean. A particular emphasis is placed on the Latin American and Caribbean nuclear-weapon-free zone. We discuss the terms of the Treaty and how the zone came to include states that were initially reluctant to join it. With this as a backdrop, we also consider the role of Latin American and Caribbean states in ongoing efforts to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.

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The saga of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the international legal framework regulating weapons of mass destruction

By Reza Lahidji

The agreement signed on 14 July 2015 by the representatives of Iran and the so-called P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany) is considered a major development in international relations by its proponents and critics alike. If it is enacted by both sides and effectively implemented, the agreement will end more than a decade of crisis over Iran’s nuclear programme and twenty-five years of controversies about its policy with regard to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This paper examines the history of Iran’s doctrine on WMD, of the handling of Iran’s case by international institutions governing the production of WMD, and of the internal debate on WMD in the Iranian political system and society. This history sheds light on both fundamental changes within the Islamic Republic of Iran and problematic aspects of the international non-proliferation regime. →

An overview of the issues, policy positions and possible outcomes of scenarios at the 2015 Review Conference of the NPT.

By Magnus Løvold

On Monday 27 April, Ambassador Taous Feroukhi of Algeria opened the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In the weeks leading up to 22 May 2015, when the 2015 NPT Review Conference comes to a close, States Parties will review the implementation of the treaty and possibly agree on future actions. →

Scandinavian security choices in an age of proliferation, 1945–1968

By Fredrik Grønning Lie

In this background paper, Fredrik Lie explores the critical years for nuclear proliferation in Norway and Sweden. A nuclear security strategy was seriously considered by authorities in both countries, but a variety of  political considerations combined to keep Scandinavia free of nuclear weapons. Norway, however, joined NATO’s nuclear umbrella. →

Overview of Iran’s nuclear programme

By ILPI

A brief introduction to the controversy surrounding Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. →

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1540 was adopted unanimously on April 28, 2004 concerning the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), in particular to prevent the spread of WMD to non-state actors.
UNSC Resolution 1540 (2004) (pdf).