Nuclear arms reduction is one of the most important and imperative agenda that agencies like UNO (United Nations Organization) and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) vie for. Modern and developed countries like UK and US have realized the potential dangers of a nuclear-armed world and have been quite explicit and vociferous in their efforts towards nuclear arms reduction. Nuclear arms reduction as a phenomenon has traversed and travelled a long journey of almost half a decade with partial success. Though a nuclear war is not an imminent danger to the world now, it cannot be ruled out. The main aim of ‘nuclear arms free’ world is still distant and requires continuous and untiring efforts to be achieved.
It was on the morning of July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, with the detonation of the world’s first nuclear weapon in the so-called Trinity explosion that the nuclear age commenced. But it was on August 9, 1945, almost a month after Trinity Explosion, a Fat Man implosion bomb (the one tested at Alamogordo) was dropped on Nagasaki that killed an estimated 40,000 people that shook the world and awakened it to the bitter reality and potential dangers of nuclear arms (Schenck & Youmans 2012).
The bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combinedly killed over a hundred thousand people. The incident not only led to the end of World War II but also made Nuclear Arms Control a prominent global issue. The incident acted as a catalyst towards the global collective actions for nuclear arms control or reduction. Though the actual history of nuclear arms control negotiations dates back to 1925, but it was only after 1945 that the actions started materializing and the intent towards nuclear arms reduction got serious.
There have been different phases to nuclear arms control or reduction and also the associated measures to implement or carry out the reduction. Over the years the world has come up with many treaties, pacts and agreements to implement nuclear arms control. Some of the most important and significant treaties are as mentioned:
Antarctic Treaty (1959): It was one of the very first arms control treaty that had serious effects towards nuclear disarmament. It was an agreement between twelve nations to protect Antarctica continent and to respect its peace and serenity. The treaty or pact not only made it illegal for the countries to establish military bases in Antarctica, something that had become a regular practice by many countries, but also strictly banned any military maneuvers and stationing or testing of any weapon in the continent. The treaty also prohibited countries from nuclear explosion in Antarctica and also made it compulsory for the nations to refrain from radioactive waste disposal in the continent. The treat was a baby step towards nuclear arms reduction. The treaty came into force in 1961 and has produced positive results ever since.
Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963): 1963 was indeed an important year in the history of nuclear arms control since the year saw two very important agreements. The Hot Line Agreement between US and Soviet Union aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear exchange due to accidents or miscalculation. Both the sides decided to maintain a direct, uninterrupted connection to avert any untoward action or attack. But it was the Limited Test Ban Treaty between US, USSR and UK that set the tone for nuclear arms reduction. The treaty banned these countries from testing their nuclear weapons or devices in open atmosphere, space or in water, though it allowed the testing underground. The treaty has been a major success and almost 116 countries have signed it since.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968): Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is thus far the most important and relevant treaty or agreement aimed at a nuclear arms free world. The treaty was originally signed between United States, Soviet Union and the United Kingdom and it limited the spread of military nuclear technology to the main nuclear-weapon states i.e. US, USSR, UK, France and China and the to the non-nuclear nations wishing to build these weapons. Non-weapon states vowed and agreed not to possess nuclear weapons, while the nuclear states committed to disarmament.
It has more than 187 signatories today and only a handful of countries including India and Israel haven’t signed it but still continue to adhere to the principle of minimum deterrence. The treaty was the very first attempt with core intent of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and reduction in its numbers among the countries that owned it. The treaty has been highly successful in checking the reckless spread of nuclear weapons.
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987): The years between 1968 and 1987 saw many important agreements and treaties like Seabed Treaty, Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, Threshold Test Ban Treaty and Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty. They all revolved around the central principle of nuclear arms reduction or putting a condition or prohibition on testing of such weapons. But, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 was indeed special. Born out of the failed discussion between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev aimed at total nuclear disarmament, the treaty was the first ever which eliminated and banned the entire class of nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed between the two main nuclear arms holders i.e. United States and Soviet Union. Both the countries decided to eliminate all the mid range and long range nuclear capable missiles within a set deadline. The treaty though did not succeed fully in its efforts but brought the very important point of ‘Total Disarmament of Nuclear Weapons’ at the world level.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (1996): Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996 went a step ahead in putting conditions over the nuclear tests and banned them altogether. It made all kinds of tests over and under the ground totally illegal. This was a shift from the earlier position, which allowed for the tests of nuclear weapons under the ground. US, CIS, UK and 90 nuclear weapon states vowed to refrain from all sorts of nuclear tests. Though the treaty aimed at prohibition of all the nuclear tests, it hasn’t been as successful. Wile only 26 countries have ratified the treaty, other 15 have not yet ratified to it. The treat faced a major blow when its main signatory, United States failed to ratify it.
New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START): Signed between United States and Russia in 2010, this is the latest attempt at reduction of nuclear weapons or arms. The treaty makes it mandatory for both the countries to reduce the number of strategic arms and nuclear weapons within seven years of signing the Treaty. The treaty makes the two largest holders of nuclear weapons in the world to be more accountable.
The efforts put into nuclear arms reduction have been successful up to a certain extent. Though the stockpile of nuclear warheads has decreased over the last few decades, the rate of reduction is far from satisfactory. Though the treaties meant to control nuclear arms growth like NTP and CTBT have been in place for years now, they haven’t yielded the results they were meant for. According to a latest report, Russia and US remain the two highest possessors of nuclear weapons and warheads with around 8500 and 7700 warheads respectively (Kristensen & Norris, 2013). That is over 80 percent of the total nuclear weapons that the world today has. Even with all these treaties in place the threat of insecure and unreliable countries like North Korea and Iran has increased off late. There are some countries like India, Pakistan and Israel that aren’t part of some of the most important nuclear disarmament treaties and in some cases even the signatories have failed to comply by the guidelines of the agreements.
Thus itself can be concluded that despite the best of the efforts in curtailing the nuclear weapons, the results aren’t satisfactory and the number of nuclear weapons possessing countries and their respective nuclear warheads haven’t reduced a great deal. The total number of nuclear weapons remains at a alarmingly highly level, threatening world peace and security every moment. It clearly signifies that a lot needs to be done to ensure that the world is sans the dangerous and lethal nuclear weapons and the leaders like US and Russia need to lead from the front and set an example, something that hasn’t quite happened. It would need great political will and strong actions to realize a dream of nuclear weapons free world.
Bibliography
Schenck, Lisa M. and Yumans, Robert A. “From Start To Finish: A Historical Review of
Nuclear Arms Control Treaties and Starting Over With the New Start”.
CJCL.com, 2012, Retrieved April 26, 2013, from
http://www.cjicl.com/uploads/2/9/5/9/2959791/cjicl_20.2_schenck__youmans_ar
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Kristensen, Hans and Norris, Robert. “World Nuclear Stockpile Report”.
Ploughshares Fund, 2013, Retrieved April 26, 2013, from
http://ploughshares.org/world-nuclear-stockpile-report
