Adopting progressive new nuclear weapons policies in the NPR makes sense in our post-Cold War world (though this will likely be resisted by the Nuclear Priesthood in our weapons laboratories and relevant bureaucracies in the Defense and Energy Departments), but such moves are also likely necessary to convince the international community that the president is really serious about moving toward his vision of a Nuclear Weapons-Free world with actions, not just speeches. A modest new START agreement with Russia would be good, but perhaps not sufficient, to satisfy non-nuclear states who have consistently pressed the nuclear haves to make good on their end of the NPT bargain.
Without serious US leadership toward disarmament, the international non-proliferation regime teeters and could collapse. An international campaign is emerging calling on Obama and other leaders of nuclear states to begin negotiations on a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide (hopefully by the year 2020, the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings) at or before the NPT Review Conference. Such negotiations would likely take years, which is why, if we are serious, they should start as soon as possible, rather than waiting for a series of incremental arms reduction treaties.
Another troubling issue with the NPT is the inherent conflict of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons while promoting the use of nuclear power, because nuclear energy technology can lead to the development of nuclear weapons. The IAEA, which is tasked with overseeing these contradictory functions, including carrying out inspections to ensure nuclear power programs do not lead to weaponization, is sorely under-resourced to carry out its mandate. The nuclear power promotion function should be dropped, and replaced by a commitment to replace nuclear power with sustainable energy sources. A new International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has been established for this purpose.
The IAEA and its director, Mohamed ElBaradei, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Part of the award citation read, "At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation. This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its Director." Perhaps the best way for President Obama to demonstrate that he is as deserving a Nobel recipient as the 2005 awardees is to make the IAEA's work a great deal easier in the coming years by committing the US to a serious pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
Kevin Martin is Executive Director of Peace Action, the country's largest peace and disarmament organization with 100,000 members nationwide. www.peace-action.org
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