NPT Compliance: Issues and Views

Publication Date: April 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: International relations; Military and defense

Type:

Abstract:

Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will meet in May 2005 in New York to review implementation. Since the last review conference in 2000, the biggest issue to emerge is treaty compliance, particularly Iran's compliance. President Bush has remarked that "NPT Parties must take strong action to confront the threat of noncompliance with the NPT...We cannot allow rogue states that violate their commitments...to undermine the NPT's fundamental role in strengthening international security." However, some NPT parties are adamant that the United States and other nuclear weapon states are not complying with their own obligations, namely, to pursue nuclear disarmament. This report, which will be updated as needed, discusses different views and issues related to NPT compliance.