Voluntary Principles and Nuclear Proliferation: Developing an Industry Based Approach to Strengthening the Nonproliferation Regime

摘要

Not long after the dawn of the nuclear age, few experts were optimistic that the spread of nuclear weapons could be contained. It is easy to lose sight of this in contemporary discussions on nuclear proliferation. Yet at present we are faced with renewed pressure from state and non-state actors who desire to acquire nuclear arms. The years since the end of the Cold War have seen not only a transformation of the security environment, but also an evolution in the means and motives for procuring nuclear arms. Voluntary principles, which represent a cooperative arrangement to develop and implement standard practices and information sharing, offer a tremendous opportunity to bolster the current non-proliferation regime. This paper will first analyze evolving trends in surreptitious nuclear proliferation and then outline key areas of opportunity to improve the current nonproliferation regime.