Overview

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has been the principal legal barrier to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons for the past forty-five years. It promotes the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and insures, through the application of safeguards inspections conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that those technologies are not being diverted toward the production of nuclear weapons. It is also the only multinational treaty that obligates the five nuclear weapons states that are party to the treaty (China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States) to pursue nuclear disarmament measures.Though there have been many challenges over the years, most would agree that the treaty has largely been successful. However, many are concerned about the continued viability of the NPT. The perceived slow pace of nuclear disarmament, the interest by some countries to consider a weapons program while party to the treaty, and the funding and staffing issues at the IAEA, are all putting considerable strain on the treaty. This manuscript explores those issues and offers some possible solutions to ensure that the NPT will survive effectively for many years to come.

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9781681743882

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Reviews

"""The Midlife Crisis of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty should be required reading on campus, on Capitol Hill, at Foggy Bottom, at the Vienna International Center and in Geneva for anyone interested in or involved in nuclear energy, nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament. Pete Pella navigates confidently (and at times wryly) through the complexities of past and current nuclear dilemmas without losing sight of what's at stake. This articulate, beautifully written and slim volume weaves science and policy seamlessly to the benefit of both communities."" - Sharon Squassoni, Senior Fellow and Director, Proliferation Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, D.C. ""Dr. Pella has done a remarkable job of covering the entire spectrum of nuclear nonproliferation in one compact book. He traces the history of the bomb, the physics of nuclear energy, the components of the nonproliferation regime, and the modern challenges to that regime. Professor Pella's technical background and years of teaching allow him to make accessible the most complex aspects of nuclear energy. Anyone seeking a clear and concise explanation of nuclear weaponry, the proliferation challenges these weapons present, and the nonproliferation response to these challenges should read this book."" - Ambassador Norman A. Wulf, Special Representative of the President on Nonproliferation (1999-2002) ""Dr. Pella has produced a timely and accessible discussion of how the science and technology that lies behind nuclear programs can be used for peaceful or non-peaceful purposes, and the proliferation challenges this duality presents to the international community. He has combined a superb primer for non-technical readers with a valuable discussion of the global nonproliferation architecture that has been established to address these challenges. Professor Pella makes a compelling case that preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons is a tough, challenging, and urgent task, and requires more than just 'political will.' Anyone interested in or critical of the nuclear landscape and the steps needed to address it should read this book."" - Susan Burk, Ambassador and Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation (2009-2012)"

The Midlife Crisis of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty should be required reading on campus, on Capitol Hill, at Foggy Bottom, at the Vienna International Center and in Geneva for anyone interested in or involved in nuclear energy, nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament. Pete Pella navigates confidently (and at times wryly) through the complexities of past and current nuclear dilemmas without losing sight of what's at stake. This articulate, beautifully written and slim volume weaves science and policy seamlessly to the benefit of both communities. - Sharon Squassoni, Senior Fellow and Director, Proliferation Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, D.C. Dr. Pella has done a remarkable job of covering the entire spectrum of nuclear nonproliferation in one compact book. He traces the history of the bomb, the physics of nuclear energy, the components of the nonproliferation regime, and the modern challenges to that regime. Professor Pella's technical background and years of teaching allow him to make accessible the most complex aspects of nuclear energy. Anyone seeking a clear and concise explanation of nuclear weaponry, the proliferation challenges these weapons present, and the nonproliferation response to these challenges should read this book. - Ambassador Norman A. Wulf, Special Representative of the President on Nonproliferation (1999-2002) Dr. Pella has produced a timely and accessible discussion of how the science and technology that lies behind nuclear programs can be used for peaceful or non-peaceful purposes, and the proliferation challenges this duality presents to the international community. He has combined a superb primer for non-technical readers with a valuable discussion of the global nonproliferation architecture that has been established to address these challenges. Professor Pella makes a compelling case that preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons is a tough, challenging, and urgent task, and requires more than just 'political will.' Anyone interested in or critical of the nuclear landscape and the steps needed to address it should read this book. - Susan Burk, Ambassador and Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation (2009-2012)

The Midlife Crisis of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty should be required reading on campus, on Capitol Hill, at Foggy Bottom, at the Vienna International Center and in Geneva for anyone interested in or involved in nuclear energy, nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament. Pete Pella navigates confidently (and at times wryly) through the complexities of past and current nuclear dilemmas without losing sight of what's at stake. This articulate, beautifully written and slim volume weaves science and policy seamlessly to the benefit of both communities. - Sharon Squassoni, Senior Fellow and Director, Proliferation Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, D.C. Dr. Pella has done a remarkable job of covering the entire spectrum of nuclear nonproliferation in one compact book. He traces the history of the bomb, the physics of nuclear energy, the components of the nonproliferation regime, and the modern challenges to that regime. Professor Pella's technical background and years of teaching allow him to make accessible the most complex aspects of nuclear energy. Anyone seeking a clear and concise explanation of nuclear weaponry, the proliferation challenges these weapons present, and the nonproliferation response to these challenges should read this book. - Ambassador Norman A. Wulf, Special Representative of the President on Nonproliferation (1999-2002) Dr. Pella has produced a timely and accessible discussion of how the science and technology that lies behind nuclear programs can be used for peaceful or non-peaceful purposes, and the proliferation challenges this duality presents to the international community. He has combined a superb primer for non-technical readers with a valuable discussion of the global nonproliferation architecture that has been established to address these challenges. Professor Pella makes a compelling case that preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons is a tough, challenging, and urgent task, and requires more than just 'political will.' Anyone interested in or critical of the nuclear landscape and the steps needed to address it should read this book. - Susan Burk, Ambassador and Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation (2009-2012)

Author Information

Dr Peter Pella has just retired after being a Physics professor for over 35 years. He spent the last 28 years at Gettysburg College where he was the W K T Sahm Professor of Physics. His research included the study of the spin response of the nuclear force and fundamental properties of the neutron. He has participated in research at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, the Bates Linear Accelerator Facility and the Thomas Jefferson Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator facility in medium-energy nuclear physics. He is also involved in issues related to nuclear weapons. His expertise focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, The International Atomic Energy Agency, and nuclear issues involving North Korea and Iran. As a William Foster Fellow from 1994 to 1995, he worked at the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, from which he received a Meritorious Honor Award for his service in helping to achieve the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He also worked at the Bureau of Nonproliferation, US Department of State, from 2000 to 2001 on issues relating to Iraq, North Korea, and The International Atomic Energy Agency. He contributed two chapters (Nuclear Nonproliferation and The International Atomic Energy Agency) to the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace published by Oxford University Press in October 2009. He also authored a textbook, Nuclear Weapons, Policy, and Strategy, The Uses of Atomic Energy in an Increasingly Complex World, for a nuclear weapons policy course he had taught for over 30 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point; a master's degree in experimental nuclear physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and a doctorate in experimental nuclear physics from Kent State University.

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