At the Nuclear Crossroads: Choices about Nuclear Weapons and Extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty

In 1970, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) went into effect. Agreed to by more than 160 nations, the NPT was designed to provide guidelines for greater control of nuclear weapons by the powers that have them. It also sought to assure non-nuclear states of their safety by encouraging progressive arms control by the nuclear superpowers: America, Britain, China, France, and Russia. Now as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the NPT approaches, the signees will meet again. They will decide if and for how long the NPT will be extended. In this volume, Rhinelander and Scheinman examine the history of the NPT, its effectiveness in controlling weapons proliferation, and what a possible extension of the treaty will mean for the U.S. and the rest of the world. The book also includes essays on the language of the treaty and how well the nuclear superpowers have complied with it as well as look at what effect the NPT has had on nuclear testing. Copublished with the Lawyers Alliance for World Security.