Security Assurances

Abstract

The advent of the nuclear era in 1945—Xwhen the United States exploded the world’s first nuclear weapon and this was followed in quick succession by similar developments in the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France and China—Xconfronted the international community with the problem of nuclear proliferation. Failure of negotiations in the Atomic Energy Commission to ‘eliminate from national armaments atomic weapons’ led to the search for ways of stopping other countries beside the five nuclear-weapon states from developing nuclear weapons. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was meant to fulfil that function.