Non-proliferation, Nuclear Technology and Peaceful Uses: Examining the Role and Impact of Export Controls

The 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT) aims to achieve nuclear disarmament, prevent nuclear weapons proliferation and promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Maintaining a balance among these different objectives has long been a contentious issue in the context of the NPT. To support these aims, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has developed guidelines for export controls. NSG participating governments highlight the NSG’s growing role as a public goods provider and enabler of peaceful nuclear trade. However, developing states have criticized the use of export controls as infringing on their right to access nuclear technology for peaceful uses. This criticism has been given a new forum in the discussions around three consecutive United Nations General Assembly resolutions on ‘Promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses in the context of international security’. This paper outlines the positions states have taken in these discussions and identifies steps that could be taken at the national, European Union and UN levels to facilitate dialogue around states’ obligations under the NPT and the NSG’s contribution to their implementation.