On The Limitations Of The International Nuclear Non-proliferation Regime

As the most serious threat in the human society, nuclear war is just like a Damocles Sword always hanging above the earth. Following the crazy arms race between American and Soviet Union in the period of Cold War, finally the world owns enough nuclear warheads to destroy the earth tens of times. After countries in the world reaching an agreement to prevent the nuclear proliferating, human beings establish a set of the international regime of nuclear non proliferation which is consisted of a series of international treaties, institutions and organizations. Among them the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are the most important components.The establishment of the international regime of nuclear non proliferation plays an active role in the non proliferation to some extent. It holds back the proliferation of the nuclear weapons and fissile materials on the one hand, on the other hand, it promotes the progress of the nuclear arms control and nuclear disarmament. First, by negotiating USA and Russia successively came to the agreements to restrict and reduce strategic nuclear weapons, which made the scales of this two super nuclear arsenal shrink dramatically. Second, some countries potential to develop nuclear weapons, like South Africa, Argentina, Brazil as well as Ukraine, White Russia and Kazakhstan which actually owned nuclear weapons after disintegration of the Soviet Union finally chose to give up developing nuclear weapons. At last, international regime of nuclear non proliferation impels the countries to establish nuclear free zone in succession.However, not only the international security environment outside, but also the defects of the regime itself result in the limitation of the international nuclear non proliferation regime. The reasons outside regime are: First, comparing to the international environment before the establishment of international nuclear non proliferation regime, the world nowadays has great changes, while international nuclear non proliferation regime does not adapt to the change of international environment; Second, at present, globalization develops increasingly, while scientific technology is developing with the unprecedented speed. So designing and producing nuclear weapons now is much easier and quicker than at the beginning of the international nuclear non proliferation regime; Third, some countries like USA and Russia use the defect of NPT at nuclear disarmament. They doesn't carry out the genuine nuclear disarmament, which brings out the dissatisfaction of the countries with no nuclear; Fourth, few non-member of this treaty are trying to develop their nuclear power.And the limitation restricts the function of the regime badly. In recent tens of years the nuclear proliferation is continuing. Some countries improve the qualities of their nuclear weapons constantly, some countries cross the threshold of the nuclear to become nuclear countries, while some others itch to try to squash in the club of the nuclear powers. Moreover, the contraband of the nuclear is still serious. For the limitation of the international nuclear non proliferation, this essay puts forward that the solutions should be aiming at the causes. The solutions for the problems outside the regime are: First, to establish cooperative and mutual-trusted international security environment outside to ensure non proliferation fundamentally; Second, nuclear powers should take the due responsibilities of non proliferation; Third, to strengthen the cooperation for area security to assure the safety of the countries with no nuclear. The solutions for the problems of the regime itself should be based on effective regime reform, furthermore to overcome the limitation of the regime completely. The reforms should divided into the improvement of the NPT and the overcoming of the limitation of the IAEA.This essay studies the function of the international non proliferation regime just from realizing the outside environment and exploring the defects inside the regime, thereby figuring out the causation of the regime function's limitation and the solutions. And once we overcome the limitation of the international nuclear non proliferation regime successfully, we could find the ways to stop the nuclear proliferation. On the other hand, the research of the international nuclear non proliferation is beneficial to the international security mechanism and helpful to build international harmonious world as well.