Nuclear Weapons

Half a century after world powers agreed to thwart the spread of nuclear weapons and reduce their own arsenals, both those projects are under strain. Under the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, only five nations — China, France, Russia, the U.K. and U.S. — can possess nuclear arms, and all have promised to reduce their stockpiles eventually to zero. But Israel, India and Pakistan all developed the bomb after the treaty emerged. More recently, the goal of curbing atomic arms has been challenged by North Korea’s entry into the nuclear club, by the U.S. withdrawal from an international deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program, and by threats by the leaders of the U.S. and Russia to augment their arsenals rather than continue to pare them down.

Russia and the U.S. both suspended a landmark nuclear-weapons treaty in February, raising fears its end could restart the arms race in Europe and spur one in Asia. Each country accused the other of violating the 1987 pact, which rolled back ground-launched intermediate-range missiles deployed in Europe. If talks don’t revive the deal by Aug. 2, it would free both parties to deploy mid-range nuclear weapons not just in Europe but elsewhere, enabling the U.S. to counter deployment of such arms by China. President Donald Trump has said that in general the U.S. “must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability,” while his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has boasted of his country’s work on next-generation nuclear-weapons systems. The U.S. has already withdrawn from a 2015 accord setting limits on Iran’s nuclear program, though Iran’s government has said it would continue to abide by the pact. Before the deal, Iran possessed enough enriched uranium for multiple bombs. A meeting between North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 raised hopes that the reclusive dictator was open to giving up his nuclear weapons, though it’s not clear what his conditions are and many analysts are skeptical he’d relinquish the arms.