Learn about the issues
Forty years ago, the fear of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of ever more countries led to the creation of a series of international agreements to limit their spread. The foundation of these efforts, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), commits non-nuclear weapon states to permanently foreswear nuclear weapons and requires the original nuclear weapon states -- Great Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- to pursue and achieve nuclear disarmament. Currently, 189 nations are signed on to the NPT.
Today, the threat posed by the spread of nuclear weapons is growing, and the NPT system is under stress. But a surprising chorus of voices from across the political spectrum have called for a nuclear weapons free world and a practical, verifiable series of steps to get us there.
Freeing the world of nuclear weapons won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight. It will require a series of practical steps, taken one after another, to get there. These steps will require U.S. initiative, cooperation among nations, and tough measures to verify that countries are following through. But the alternative -- doing nothing -- is no alternative at all.
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Setting Policy: The Nuclear Posture Review
End the Testing and Pursuit of New Nuclear Weapons
Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons