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 ofnuclear weapons could be contained. It is easy to lose sight of this in contemporary discussions onnuclear proliferation. Yet at present we are faced with renewed pressure from state and non-stateactors who desire to acquire nuclear arms. The years since the end of the Cold War have seen notonly a transformation of the security environment, but also an evolution in the means and motivesfor procuring nuclear arms. Voluntary principles, which represent a cooperative arrangement todevelop and implement standard practices and information sharing, offer a tremendous opportunityto bolster the current non-proliferation regime. This paper will first analyze evolving trends insurreptitious nuclear proliferation and then outline key areas of opportunity to improve the currentnonproliferation regime.