The Efficacy of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime

ABSTRACT: The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to international security and peace. Particularly, the case of Iran and recent processes including the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit are illustrating the importance of nuclear non-proliferation regime in international affairs. This regime, for more than forty years, aims to provide services for the prevention of proliferation and use of nuclear weapons. The IAEA and the Review Conferences - meetings held once every five years – are trying to be providers of the nuclear weapon-free world and barometers of the health of the non-proliferation regime. The aim of this thesis is to assess the effectiveness of the NPT regime. The analysis of the regime in this thesis is guided by the regime theory, international law and politics, identifying and interpreting applicable rules and norms establishing the nuclear non-proliferation regime and assessing how well enforcement of the regime is carried out and what its future reform might be. The observations which are developed in this thesis are that the states have to be very accurate in meeting the conditions of the NPT regime for its effectiveness. The main two principles which should be the priorities for the actors of NPT regime and the effectiveness of this regime are preventing of the acquisition and reducing of nuclear weapons by new states and peaceful use of nuclear energy by non-nuclear-weapon states. The present thesis strongly notes that only in the case of applying and using the nuclear materials, equipment and technologies obtained by non-nuclear states for peaceful purposes and strengthening the efforts for the reducing of such weapons by all nuclear weapon states can reach the effective non-proliferation regime. Keywords: nuclear weapons, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime, NPT, Iran case. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………