Issue: Reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to Facilitate Universal Ratification

Transcription

1 Forum: Disarmament and International Security Committee Issue: Reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to Facilitate Universal Ratification Student Officer: Rishabh Bhargava Position: Deputy President Introduction On 6 th and 9 th August, 1945 the United States of America(USA) dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, days later, World War II ended., however Aa new issue arose now, the possibility of Nuclear Warfare, which could cause widespread destruction, due to the capabilities of nuclear weapons, which far exceeded the capabilities of any weapons known until now. After the war, in order to keep pace with the USA, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China, the United Kingdom and, France developed Nuclear weapons, only increasing the possibility of a full blown Nuclear War. Recognizing this as a large issue, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was opened for signature in 1968, and entered into force in March Today the treaty has been ratified by 190 nations, and is one of the few the most successful arms treatiesy, with near universal adherence. The Nuclear NPT stands on three pillars, those of Non-Proliferation, Peaceful Uses and Disarmament. Under articles 1, 2 and 3, the treaty tries to restrict the growth of new nuclear weapons thus upholding the first pillar. Article 4 of the Nuclear NPT upholds the rights of all states to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes thus ensuring that the second pillar of allowing Peaceful uses of nuclear energy is upheld. The third pillar of Disarmament is backward looking and aims to reduce the number of Nuclear weapons which already exist, under Article 6 of the NPT, the nations which were recognized as Nuclear Weapon States are to try to carry out complete and absolute nuclear disarmament. 1 Due to this treaty, South Africa completed achieved complete nuclear disarmament in 1988, and acceded to the Nuclear NPT in 1991, signifying a step in the right direction which every country must 1 Further Explained in Background Information About the Treaty Page 1 of 22

2 take. Yet, there are problems in the treaty, as shown above, India and Pakistan have Nuclear weapon stockpiles and have some nuclear plants which do not submit to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), since India and Pakistan have not signed the Nuclear NPT, and refuse to do so unless they are recognized as Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), implying that they have no intention of destroying their nuclear stockpiles in the near future. The Democratic People s Republic of Korea was a signatory of the Nuclear NPT until 2003, however it withdrew from the treaty, and subsequently started nuclear weapon testingtesting;, in 2016, DPRK claims to have developed and successfully detonated a Hydrogen Bomb. State run media in the DPRK has claimed that the Hydrogen Bomb has the capability of wiping out all of the territory of mainland USA at once. The actions of the DPRK have had a very negative impact on the world s current somewhat shaky nuclear peace, whether or not, they claim to be doing these tests in order to deter hostile outside forces from attacking DPRK. Countries' stances on the NPT Israel Another problem is Israel, which hasn t signed the Nuclear NPT, and maintains ambiguity over whether or not it possesses any nuclear weapons. It is believed, however that Israel possesses sophisticated Nuclear Weapons., and every effort must be made, in order to understand the extent of Israel s nuclear capabilities. Every effort should also be made in order to get Israel to submit to Page 2 of 22

3 an inspection of their nuclear facilities by the IAEA. South Sudan has also not ratified the Nuclear NPT, since South Sudan doesn t possess any nuclear weapons, it should be immediately persuaded to ratify this treaty, since it does not have any Nuclear Inventories that it must destroy. Estimates say that approximately 15,500 warheads out of a total 16,000 warheads are held by the recognized Nuclear Weapon States, thus, the biggest threat of nuclear warfare comes from the signatories of the Nuclear NPT. Of these, Russia and the USA hold 14,700 warheads, thus posing a huge threat to world peace if either of these 2 countries decides to go to war. The conditions under the Nuclear NPT are rather ambiguous, and the NWS, especially the USA and Russia, must make all possible efforts to disarm themselves, as they suggested they would, at the time they signed the Nuclear NPT. 2 Definition of Key Terms Nuclear Weapon An explosive device whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of Atomic nuclei. They were first used in 1945 on humans, and they have the capability to cause great devastation. 3 Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) Nuclear Weapon States, as recognized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are those which had successfully detonated Nuclear Weapons before January 1, The NWS are the United States of America, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China, each of whom have ratified the Nuclear NPT. Non-Proliferation The action or practice of curbing or controlling an excessive, rapid spread, especially used in the context of nuclear weapons. 2 Estimates are by CNN Page 3 of 22

4 Hydrogen Bomb A bomb more powerful than an atom bomb which derives its energy from the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei at high temperatures, which is set off by an atomic bomb. 4 The DPRK claims to be in possession of one of these bombs, however experts detected a 6 kiloton explosion at the testing site. Such bombs normally have a 600 kiloton explosion. Non-Nuclear Weapon States(NNWS) As defined by the Nuclear NPT, nations which had not detonated nuclear weapons before 1 st January, 1967 are NNWS, this includes all countries which are not NWS, thus, countries such as India, if they were to sign the treaty would have to sign as one of the NNWS, and according to the provisions of the treaty, the country would have to be completely disarmed in a nuclear fashion before they can ratify the treaty. Violent Non-State Actors Any organization which is not a part of the state, and uses force to gain politically or fulfill political motives. 5 The risk of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of VNSAs is extremely high in Pakistan, and may increase in the future in Israel. The Agreed Framework Signed between the DPRK and the USA in 1994, it is a treaty in which DPRK agrees to suspend further nuclear testing and allow IAEA inspections, the USA in return promises to build two light water reactors in DPRK, supply aid to the DPRK and normalize trade relations with DPRK. This framework kept DPRK a signatory of the Nuclear NPT, because without it, DPRK would have withdrawn from the treaty Page 4 of 22

5 The Lahore Agreement A bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan, in which both countries agreed to pursue a policy of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, this agreement was followed up by talks, which were stalled during the Kargil war. These talks were only revived in 2001, but have made little progress since then, and little concrete action has been take on the basis of this agreement. The P5 process Negotiations started in 2007 by the United Kingdom in order to carry out the negotiations for complete nuclear disarmament as specified under Article 6 of the Nuclear NPT. The process involved Confidence Building Measures in order to help countries disarm, and also called for greater transparency and mutual cooperation, however this process has been unofficially stalled, due to recent developments on the political landscape The Six Party Talks The Six Party Talks refers collectively to the talks between DPRK, the USA, China, Japan, Russia and the Republic of Korea. These talks were initiated in 2003, and suspended in Their aim was to get DPRK to destroy all of its nuclear weapons, on agreeable terms for all parties Background Information The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty The document was signed in 1968, and entered into force in the year The treaty has 11 articles, which together, uphold the three pillars of Non-Proliferation, Peaceful Uses, and Disarmament, all of which together aim to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world, and the possibility of nuclear warfare in the future. Articles 1,2 and 3: Non Proliferation These articles focus on preventing the proliferation of new Nuclear weapons. Article 1 says that NWS may not transfer nuclear weapons to other countries or help them build their own nuclear weapons. Article 2 prevents Non-Nuclear weapon states from acquiring new nuclear weapons. This article is central to stopping the proliferation of new nuclear weapons. Article 3 makes Page 5 of 22

6 signatory states pledge to allow IAEA inspections, in order to verify that the Nuclear activities being carried out by a particular state are for peaceful reasons only. Together these articles help solve the problem of new states acquiring new nuclear weapons and further compounding the nuclear problem. Article 4: Peaceful Uses Article 4 upholds the right of all signatory states to carry out nuclear activities for peaceful purposes. The IAEA ensures that these nuclear facilities are not used for non-peaceful purposes as previously specified under article 3 Article 6: Disarmament Under Article 6 of the Nuclear NPT, all recognized NWS must carry out negotiations in order to stop the nuclear arms race at the earliest possible date, and must completely disarm themselves as early as possible. This article does not impose upon the nations to carry out these negotiations, but believes that these nations will carry them out in good faith, thus, there is no obligation upon the NWS to disarm themselves. Article 10: Right of all states to Withdraw from the Treaty Under Article 10 of the treaty, all nations have the right to withdraw from the treaty if any extraordinary events occur, in 2003, the Democratic People s Republic of Korea, withdrew from the treaty under the provisions of this article. India and Pakistan s refusal to sign the treaty India first detonated a nuclear weapon in 1974, and again in 1998, while Pakistan, in retaliation to India s tests first conducted nuclear tests in Both India and Pakistan have not signed the Nuclear NPT for similar reasons. Pranab Mukherjee said in 2007, that India believes that the Nuclear NPT was flawed and discriminatory, and that India did not lack commitment for the cause of nonproliferation, but would not be willing to solve the non universal NPT. 6 Pakistan s foreign secretary, 6 Page 6 of 22

7 Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said that Pakistan will not sign the nuclear NPT, but was not in an arms race with anyone, he also pointed to India s nuclear stockpile and said that Pakistan was only maintaining a minimal deterrent. 7 Both these countries are in a state of perpetually heightened tensions, and the possibility of a nuclear war between these two states may not be ruled out. Pakistan s earlier policy was that they would ratify the Nuclear NPT if India would do so, however in 2010, Pakistan said that they would only sign if they were considered a NWS. 8 The two countries had signed a bilateral agreement at Lahore called the Lahore Declaration in early 1999 in which both countries had agreed to follow a policy of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and had recognized their responsibilities to avoid conflicts, however months later, with the start of the Kargil war the talks was stalled. 9 However, the talks were revived in 2001, but concrete action remains to be taken, and with Pakistani nuclear facilities facing risks from Violent non-state actors (VNSA), there is an urgent need for action. Israel s nuclear weapons Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; however, it has not officially stated that it is in possession of nuclear weapons either. Israel established a nuclear power plant with French help at Dimona in the year It is believed that Israel started production of Nuclear Weapons after the six-day war in No accurate information about the extent of Israeli nuclear facilities exists, but it is estimated that Israel has 80 nuclear warheads. With tensions in the surrounding regions rising, there may be spillover to Israeli territory, and the facilities may be at risk, and the nuclear warheads may fall into the hands of VNSAs The Democratic People s Republic of Korea s Nuclear program The Democratic People s Republic of Korea originally signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. It expressed its intent to withdraw from the treaty in 1994, giving the necessary three month s notice, before withdrawal s specified under Article 10 of the treaty. However, after 18 months of negotiation, an agreement was reached, called the Agreed Framework, under which the USA agreed to normalize trade relation with DPRK, build two light water reactors in DPRK, and promised not to use Page 7 of 22

8 nuclear weapons of any kind against DPRK. In return, the DPRK did not leave the Nuclear NPT. However, problems soon resurfaced, as DPRK started testing various missiles, was accused of having fissile materials, and the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) delayed construction of the light water reactors and stopped oil shipments. Subsequently the six party talks happened, however, DPRK had already withdrawn from the Nuclear NPT and maintained that Nuclear disarmament would not be an option for the country. Even though DPRK softened its stance during the talks, when the USA removed it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, ultimately the talks fell through when the USA claimed that a rocket which may have been fired for civilian purposes violated the agreement and imposed sanctions upon the DPRK, and since 2009 these talks have been ceased. DPRK has conducted successful nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, and In 2012, DPRK had claimed that they would stop nuclear testing in exchange for food aid from the USA, however this effort fell through, and DPRK conducted a nuclear test in In 2016, the DPRK has claimed that it tested a miniaturized Hydrogen Bomb, which has the capability of wiping out all of the United States of America s territory in one attempt. However experts remain skeptical and believe that an explosion of the magnitude of the one which occurred at the testing site could have been caused by an enhanced fission bomb as well. Kim Jong Un, the Supreme leader of the DPRK has claimed that it will not use Nuclear weapons first, and that the DPRK would act like a responsible nuclear nation. 10 However the credibility of these claims cannot be tested, in the view of threats made to both the USA and the Republic of Korea by the DPRK. Possession of nuclear weapons by P5 nations Under Article 6 of the Nuclear NPT, the 5 Nuclear Weapons States were to negotiate in order to attain the goal of complete nuclear disarmament. However, this was to be done in good faith, rather than as an obligation. Until 2007, however almost 40 years after the signature of the treaty, nothing happened, except the end of the Cold War which led to reduction of Nuclear Inventories of the USA and Russia which took the place of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The process initiated in 2007 took very small steps, and Confidence Building Measures were recommended along with increased transparency. The 10 Page 8 of 22

9 first meeting happened in 2009, and after that, a 64- point agenda was agreed to at the NPT Conference, in which they agreed to reduce nuclear weapons and enhance transparency and mutual cooperation. However, the political landscape changed significantly after that. Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula, and entered the war against the Islamic State in a rather controversial position. The P5 agreements are in disarray, and nuclear weapon counts have started going up again, with the Russia, and the USA facing the possibility that they might come into conflict in the middle east. For now, however the possibility of any concrete action is remote. Major Countries Involved Democratic People s Republic of Korea The Democratic People s Republic of Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in Since then they have conducted four successful nuclear tests, the last of which they claim was the detonation of a thermonuclear explosive device, however these claims remain yet to be verified. The DPRK has repeatedly used its capability to carry out nuclear testing in order to get aid. It did so in 1994, when the agreed framework was signed and gained 2 reactors and normalized trade relation with the USA. It did so again in the fifth round of the Six Party Talks, in 2005, when it got tons of heavy fuel oil from the USA and Japan. It tried to do so again in 2012 to receive food aid. 11 The DPRK has been testing nuclear weapons with increased frequency, and has been issuing threats to the Republic of Korea and the USA, along with frequently assuring the world that it will not be the first to use the weapons it has just tested, the frequently changing nature of the government of the DPRK has left the world baffled, and many believe that the largest threat of nuclear warfare comes from DPRK, since its government is the least stable among those with any form of nuclear weapons. The United States of America The United States of America has been proactively involved in getting countries to sign, and stay in the Nuclear NPT. It was part of the Agreed Framework with DPRK and ensured that DPRK did not withdraw from the treaty. It was also a part of the Six Party talks and tried to persuade the DPRK to dismantle its nuclear weapons, however was met with limited success. It also reached an agreement 11 Page 9 of 22

10 with India which allowed 14 of the 18 nuclear plants in the country to be inspected by the IAEA. Thus the USA has been actively involved in diplomatically solving the Nuclear Issue. However, the USA itself has a very large stockpile of Nuclear Weapons, estimated to be around 7200 warheads 12, which is nearly half of all the warheads in the world. While it is true, that numerous warheads have been destroyed since the end of the cold war, at the peak of which, they had nearly warheads, the reason for this disarmament was primarily the fall of the USSR and the abatement of the Cuban missile crisis, and not the Nuclear NPT. Official US warhead estimates 13 There is an urgent need for the United States of America and other P5 nations to start disarming in the earnest, under the Provisions of Article 6 of the Nuclear NPT. India India first carried out nuclear tests in 1974, and then again in India believes that the Nuclear NPT has no ethical basis for separating nations that developed nuclear weapons before 1967, 12 Official estimates are around 4800 warheads Page 10 of 22

11 and those that developed them after that. India claims that it is committed to the cause of nuclear disarmament, but will only disarm itself, if the Nuclear NPT is made universal and all nations have to disarm. India believes that the Nuclear NPT is discriminatory in nature and claims that it will not ratify the treaty until the same conditions are applicable to every signatory of the treaty. Pakistan Pakistan first carried out nuclear tests in Pakistan has said that the treaty is discriminatory, like India, and has also reiterated its right to defend itself, and cited the nuclear warhead as a nuclear deterrent. Pakistan s original stance was that they would join the treaty if India joined it, however, Pakistan has stated in 2010, that it will only join the Nuclear NPT if it is recognized as a nuclear weapons state, and will not disarm under any circumstances. 14 Pakistan believes that nuclear weapons act as deterrents to countries wishing to attack them. Israel Israel has a policy of deliberate ambiguity with respect to its nuclear program. Some reports state that Israel started testing in 1958, others state that they started testing in The number of warheads in Israel is currently unknown, but is estimated to be around 80. In 2009, a UN resolution stating that Israel must submit to IAEA inspection was passed, but Israel did not cooperate with the resolution. 15 Russia The Soviet Union first tested Nuclear weapons in 1949, and after its collapse, the nations where the nuclear weapons were deployed returned them to Russia under the Lisbon Protocol, and joined the Nuclear NPT as NNWSs and Russia joined as a NWS. The Russian Federation currently has the highest amount of nuclear warheads in the world. The exact number of these warheads varies with estimates; however, the general consensus is that Russia has the highest amount of nuclear warheads. One Page 11 of 22

12 estimate says that Russia has 7400 nuclear warheads while some claim that they have around 4800 warheads. 16 United Kingdom The United Kingdom was the nation which initiated the P5 process, under which the nations which were recognized as NWSs were to gradually disarm themselves, increase transparency and take Confidence Building Measures in order to reduce nuclear stockpiles all over the world in size. The United Kingdom first conducted a nuclear test in It has an estimated stockpile of 220 nuclear warheads. The UK has a ballistic missile on patrol, which protects it from preemptive attack, and act as an effective nuclear deterrent. France France first carried out a nuclear detonation in 1960, and ratified the treaty only in France has a larger stockpile than the UK at 300 nuclear warheads. China China first carried out a successful nuclear test in 1964, and have an estimated nuclear stockpile of approximately 260 warheads. China has entered into a civilian agreement in Pakistan to help build at least 6 nuclear power plants, with a combined capacity of 3.4 million kilowatts, the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) has condemned this decision, since it is supply of nuclear power to nation, which has not ratified the nuclear NPT, and also a nation which has shaky nuclear stability at best. Timeline of Events Date Description of Event 16 Page 12 of 22

13 1940 United Kingdom begins nuclear program 1945 First atomic bombs dropped on cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA 1949 The USSR first tests a nuclear weapon 1952 The United Kingdom conducts a successful nuclear test 1958 Supposed date of first Israeli nuclear test 1960 France conducts a successful nuclear test 1964 China conducts a nuclear test 1966 Peak of United States Nuclear Stockpile 1 st January 1967 If nuclear tests were carried out before this date, then the country as NWS 1968 Another possible date of the first Israeli test 1 st July 1968 The Nuclear NPT is opened for signature 5 th March 1970 The Nuclear NPT entered into force 1974 India conducts first nuclear test 1975 First NPT Review Conference held 1978 Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) formed in retaliations to India s tests 1980 Second NPT review conference held, membership now 112 countries 1983 President Carter states that the NPT is now the most widely adhered arms treaty 1985 DPRK accedes to the Nuclear NPT 1985 South Pacific declared a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone 1992 China and France join the NPT 1992 DPRK signs the IAEA safeguards agreement; agrees to denuclearize Korea Page 13 of 22

14 1993 DPRK attempts to withdraw from the NPT 1994 The Agreed framework, keeps DPRK as a part of the NPT 1995 South East Asia declared a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone 1996 Africa declared a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone 1998 Pakistan first tests Nuclear weapons 1998 DPRK fires rocket over Japan into the Pacific, showing that they can attack Japan 1999 Lahore Agreement Signed 2000 Due to delays in building nuclear plant, DPRK threatens restart of the program 2003 DPRK withdraws from the Nuclear NPT 2003 Six party talks begin 2004 DPRK freezes nuclear program in exchange for aid 2005 DPRK completely gives up nuclear weapons in exchange for aid 2006 DPRK completes a successful nuclear test 2007 DPRK agrees to shut Nuclear reactor in exchange of aid 2009 DPRK completes another successful nuclear test, the SC condemns it 2009 Six Party Talks suspended 2009 IAEA and India sign an agreement allowing IAEA to inspect civilian nuclear plants 2012 DPRK claims that it will stop nuclear testing in exchange for food aid 2015 DPRK claims to have developed a hydrogen bomb 6 th January 2016 DPRK claims to have successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb 7 th February DPRK claims to have launched a satellite into space for civilian purposes Page 14 of 22

15 Relevant UN treaties and events The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, opened for signature on 1 st July,1968 and entered into force on 5 th March 1970 United Nations Resolution 2270 Imposes Financial Sanctions on DPRK, adopted by the UNSC, 2 nd March, (S/RES/2270) United Nations Resolution 78 of the 69 th Session of the General Assembly: Risk of Nuclear proliferation in the middle east, adopted by the UNGA, 2 nd December, (A/RES/69/78) United Nations Resolution 2094 Condemns DPRK Nuclear Actions, adopted by the UNSC, 7 th March, (S/RES/2094) United Nations Resolution Sanctions on DPRK after Satellite Launch, adopted by the UNSC, January 22, (S/RES/2087) United Nations Resolution Resolution on Non-Proliferation, adopted by the UNSC, 24 th September, (S/RES/1887) United Nations Resolution Imposed Sanctions on DPRK, adopted by the UNSC, 12 th June, (S/RES/1874) United Nations Resolutions Sanctions Measures, adopted by the UNSC, 14 th October,2006. (S/RES/1718) United Nations Resolution India and Pakistan Nuclear Tests, adopted by the UNSC, 6 th June 1998 (S/RES/1172) Previous Attempts to solve the issue Concerning DPRK The Agreed Framework was signed in After it fell apart, The Six Party Talks were initiated in order to keep DPRK a signatory of the NPT. However, the efforts fell apart, and DPRK withdrew from the NPT Page 15 of 22

16 in Numerous attempts have been made since then to get DPRK to ratify the treaty again, however all of these have worked only temporarily 17. Concerning India The IAEA reached an agreement with India, which allowed it to inspect the civil nuclear facilities, and efforts are being made to get India to ratify the NPT but it refuses to sign the treaty unless it is recognized as NWS. Concerning the P5 nations While the P5 nations have ratified the Nuclear NPT, they still have a large majority of the world's nuclear warheads, however their disarmament has been rather reluctant, and this constitutes a problem the P5 process was a step in the right direction, however it recently fell apart due to heightened golbal tensions. 18 Concerning Pakistan Pakistan has been a known proliferator of nuclear weapons, and nothing has been done to reduce their nuclear stockpiles, however China has entered an agreement where it will supply Pakistan with reactors for civilian purposes, however this move has been widely condemned, since the belief in Pakistan's ability to protect its nuclear plants is shaky at best. Key Issues Convincing DPRK to permanently disarm itself of nuclear weapons The DPRK, tried to withdraw from the Nuclear NPT in 1994, and successfully withdrew from the treaty in In 1994, the USA managed to persuade DPRK to stay as a part of the treaty with the agreed framework, where DPRK was provided with several incentives. Similarly, nuclear projects in DPRK have been repeatedly stalled, with the use of incentives, given during the Six Party Talks, however currently the DPRK has a full scale nuclear program in action. The solutions agreed to with DPRK, however have all been temporary, with DPRK demanding aid at every instance and threatening to restart its program at the slightest disruptions in the program for given. 17 Further explained in Background Information, Country information about DPRK, and Key issues 18 Further explained in background information Page 16 of 22

17 There is a need for a long tern solution with DPRK to be reached, however this seems unlikely given that the DPRK regularly uses its nuclear power as leverage to gain aid. One of the main issues the committee must face, is getting DPRK to agree to the Nuclear NPT, since it has been for 13 years, been pursuing an intermittently hostile nuclear policy, and may in the future pose a large tgreat to the Nuclear stability of the world. Convincing India and Pakistan to Sign the NPT as NNWS Both India and Pakistan claim that they will not ratify the Nuclear NPT, unless they are recognized as NWSs. They claim that the treaty is discriminatory, and that they will submit only to a treaty which is universal in its aim of reducing nuclear weapons in the world, and not one which grants special concessions to nations which are classified as NWS. While this method of getting India and Pakistan to ratify the treaty may be feasible, it is not very helpful to the aim of nuclear disarmament, since if these countries are recognized as NWSs, they will not have to destroy their nuclear stockpiles thus not helping the ultimate aim of complete nuclear disarmament at all. The committee must aim to tackle this issue with wit and diplomacy, and must help ensure that India and Pakistan join the treaty as NNWS and completely disarm themselves. Their policies of nuclear deterrence, can be overcome by the use o9f Confidence Building Measures, those which are already in existence, and new ones which can be formulated. Procuring official data about Israel's facilities and obtaining ratification of the NPT by Israel Due to Israel's policy of deliberate ambiguity, with regards to its possession of nuclear weapons, and its secretive measures, there is no consensus as to how many nuclear warheads Israel has, and how many more it has the fissile material for. It is thus a matter of utmost urgency that Israel be convinced to declare its nuclear facilities and their extent, or otherwise, if these facilities were to fall into the hands of VNSAs in surrounding areas, the world could find itself totally unprepared for the magnitude of the nuclear attacks that these VNSAs might carry out. If the world gets official estimates about the extent of nuclear facilities in Israel, its next focus should be getting Israel to sign the NPT and to open its nuclear plants for inspection by IAEA, as the IAEA suggested in a resolution passed in Reducing nuclear stockpile of recognized NWSs Page 17 of 22

18 The Nuclear NPT suggested that the recognized NWSs must carry out negotiations to stop the nuclear arms race, and carry out complete nuclear disarmament, however these negotiations were started only 37 years after the treaty, and after heightening of global tensions due to the Crimean Crisis, and by the start of the war in the middle east with the Islamic State, nuclear stockpiles instead of decreasing have started increasing once again. Russian relationships with the NATO are at their worst level since the 1980s. Thus this reduction of nuclear stockpiles, must be encouraged in a limited time frame, by tweaking the terms of the treaty. The ability of nations to withdraw from the treaty Article 10 of the nuclear NPT states that all nations may withdraw from the treaty if they wish to, under extraordinary circumstances, however what these extraordinary circumstances are, is decided solely by the state. DPRK has already triggered this clause and misused it, and the terms of the treaty must be made stronger in order to keep nations who have ratified the treaty as non-proliferators of nuclear weapons. The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has a shared nuclear facility, under the terms of which, nations can transfer nuclear weapons from one member to another during a war. However this is directly in violation of Article 1 of the treaty. The nations in the NATO say that the withdrawal of the nation from the treaty is implicit during the time of war. The committee must focus on how this problem can be tackled and must aim to strengthen the treaty and make such withdrawals tougher. Possible Solutions This problem s solutions are ever changing, since complications in the global landscape are resulting in new problems everyday, with DPRK aggressively pursuing development of nuclear weapons, with India and Pakistan refusing to sign the treaty as Non-Nuclear Weapon states, and with Israel refusing to state even its stance, this problem is complex and can be solved only through diplomacy. Convincing the P5 nations to start disarming is also indeed rather tough, and making the treaty obligatory in nature would defeat its purpose, since every P5 nation would, citing the requirement of a minimal nuclear deterrent, back out from the treaty. Page 18 of 22

19 Incorporating a time frame in the NPT The nuclear NPT has an article which mentions that the recognized NWSs must carry out negotiations to stop the nuclear arms race and to carry out nuclear disarmament. However, today after 46 years of the treaty, no concrete action has been taken. Thus a recommended time frame in which these negotiations should be carried out should be set, or otherwise, with the political inertia being displayed by the P5 nations, and with the political landscape becoming dramatically more tense, the world may soon be on the brink of a nuclear war like none other before. The confidence building measures, the increased transparency, and the mutual cooperation s suggested in the P5 program were steps in the right direction, and these may also be incorporated into the treaty, and be given a specific time frame for completion. Improvement of Bilateral ties between India and Pakistan Efforts should be made, on a multilateral level in order to improve ties between India and Pakistan. A mutually acceptable end to the Kashmir dispute must be brokered. The main reason behind continued refusal to sign the NPT by India and Pakistan is that each is wary of the other, and if both the countries were to agree to start disarming themselves, the countries would have no problem whatsoever. The benefits to this approach of the problem are many. The fact is that many wars have been waged in the country over the issue of Kashmir, and countless lives could be saved by avoiding future wars in the state, and if peace can be brokered between the 2 countries, it would be mutually beneficial for trade as well, thus the solution to this problem might cause unprecedented prosperity in 2 countries which hold a large percentage of the world's population, along with the solution of this issue. Solution to the problem of the DPRK The solution to the dispute with the DPRK remains elusive neither aid packages, nor sanctions have worked on the country, and the country continues to make threats, it is thus of imperative importance that the committee as a whole try and diplomatically solve the problem rather than by action on ground, since both the metaphorical stick, sanctions, and the carrot, aid, have failed. One of the committee's major objectives shall be to try and reach an agreement with the DPRK where it destroys all of its nuclear facilities, and pledges to not undertake any new nuclear projects. Israel Page 19 of 22

20 The IAEA has made repeated attempts to gain access to the Israeli Nuclear Facilities, and once even passed a resolution in 2009, which called for Israel to submit to inspections of the IAEA. Israel has said that they will not submit to these inspections under any circumstances. Due to the ambiguity of their policy on nuclear weapons anything resembling a solution to the issue will have to include first finding out Israel's official stance on the topic, without which one cannot hope to devise viable solutions to get Israel to sign the Nuclear Bibliography "Did North Korea Test Hydrogen Bomb? 5 Things to Know." NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June < "IAEA Safeguards Overview." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June < "Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Archives - Pressenza." Pressenza Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty Tag. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June < Cohen, Avner. Israel and the Bomb. New York: Columbia UP, Ebook. Ryall, Julian. "North Korea Claims Its 'hydrogen Bomb' Can 'wipe out the Whole US Territory'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 12 June < "Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons." Recueil Des Cours, Collected Courses, Volume 321 (2007) (n.d.): Web. 11 June "BBC NEWS Asia-Pacific A-bomb Victims Warn of Nuclear Horror." BBC News. BBC, 06 June Web. 12 June < "1. Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons." Europäisches Nuklearrecht (n.d.): n. pag. Web. "How Potent Are North Korea's Threats?" BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June < "India, China & NPT." N.p., n.d. Web. < Page 20 of 22

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