Iran and Brazil openly flout it, India, Pakistan and Israel have never signed it, and North Korea pulled out altogether last year. The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty may have been designed to make the world a safer place but it is having exactly the opposite effect, says Peter Zimmerman, professor of science and security and director of the MacArthur Centre at King鈥檚 College London. But how to rework the treaty to give it teeth?
Zimmerman told the American Physical Society meeting in Denver on Monday that scrapping the treaty would be impractical, but changing the bargain between signatories could make all the difference. In return for non-proliferation, for example, he suggests countries should be provided with free or extremely cheap nuclear fuels. Spent fuel would then be taken away for reprocessing in a country that already has nuclear weapons capabilities. At the same time, the US would continue the process of disarmament and help protect countries who sign up.
Zimmerman, who was chief scientist of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and science adviser for arms control at the State Department during the Clinton administration, believes the UN Security Council could look favourably on the plan (see 鈥淲estminster diary鈥�), but admits that persuading the wider UN General Assembly will be more difficult. 鈥淲e have a short time to solve a hard problem and it may not be solvable in the conventional ways. But we have got to do something soon.鈥�
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