TAKE ACTION 

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Call on your elected representatives to urge the U.S. government to pursue multilateral negotiations with North Korea, return to a multilateral process for an agreement with Iran and ratify the THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY (CTBT)

 

BACKGROUND 

 

The ability of the U.S. to promote nuclear nonproliferation has been complicated by several factors.  First, none of the nuclear states that signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) are currently taking serious steps to honor their pledge to pursue reduction and eventual elimination of their nuclear arsenals. In this context, other states have no incentive to hold off getting their own nuclear weapons. This is a major reason for the U.S. to show leadership in pursuing Steps 4 and 5 in The Nuclear Playbook and begin negotiations on a staged approach that would end in the verifiable elimination of all nuclear arsenals. 

 

Particularly troubling are lessons from recent history. North Korea has stated that possessing their own nuclear arsenal is the best guarantee for the survival of their regime, particularly after the fate of the regime in Libya. Iran has seen the U.S. unilaterally withdraw from a multilateral treaty designed to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. We are now facing a multipolar nuclear world slowly spinning out of control. 

 

Negotiations with North Korea must continue and will likely only be successful if both Russia and China are key parties to any final agreement.  And it is in the international community’s interests to keep up multilateral efforts to preserve the potential for an Iran deal for when the U.S either changes its position or is succeeded by another administration more inclined to work with other states to reduce the dangers of this new multipolar nuclear world.