Reactions to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Today at the United Nations, two-thirds of the member states adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. But the nine states that actually have nuclear weapons refused to participate, potentially setting the stage for ongoing disagreements between nuclear haves and have-nots.

Several Belfer Center nuclear experts comment on the treaty.

Matthew Bunn – Professor of Practice, Harvard Kennedy School; Co-Principal Investigator, Belfer Center’s Project on Managing the Atom

“The nuclear weapons ban treaty expresses the hope of most of the world’s nations for a world free of nuclear weapons — but for now, none of the states that actually have nuclear weapons are participating. With North Korea posing deadly dangers, an arms race between Pakistan and India, intense U.S.-Russian tensions, and terrorists potentially seeking nuclear weapons, global cooperation to reduce nuclear dangers is sorely needed. Focused diplomacy will be needed to prevent disagreements over the treaty from undermining international support for near-term steps to reduce the danger of nuclear use and stem the spread of nuclear weapons."

Gary Samore – Executive Director for Research, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center

“The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is sheer folly. None of the nine countries which possess nuclear weapons (The United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) will join the ban treaty because they depend on nuclear weapons for national security and foreign policy considerations. Until those underlying national requirements change, efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament through international legal instruments are futile. Under the best circumstances, the nuclear weapons ban will be ignored as a hopelessly naïve gesture. Under the worst circumstances, it will exacerbate tensions within the existing nonproliferation regime and ultimately undermine efforts to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons.”

Nickolas Roth – Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom

“This treaty is a direct message from the international community to nuclear weapons states that the status quo is unacceptable. It comes at a critical time when the threat of a nuclear crisis between the United States and Russia is greater than at any point since the most dangerous moments of the Cold War. There is urgent need to return to the hard work of reducing nuclear risks and eliminating nuclear weapons.”