Home Random Page


CATEGORIES:

BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism






The Non-proliferation treaty

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. It is a landmark multilateral treaty whose objectives are: to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promotion of cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, achievement of nuclear disarmament and complete disarmament.

The Treaty and the nuclear non-proliferation safeguards system provided through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) make a crucial contribution to regional and international peace and security. Overall, the NPT has been successful in limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.

A total of 190 parties have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon states: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China (also the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council).

The only states not to have joined the NPT are India, Israel, Pakistan and the newly independent South Sudan.

The NPT has in fact suffered major blows. Since 1991, uranium enrichment, plutonium separation, and other possibly weapons-related activities that Iraq, North Korea, and Iran hid from IAEA inspectors have been discovered.

Countries, which refused to sign NPT

India

India now envisages increasing the contribution of nuclear power to overall electricity generation capacity from 3.2% to 9% within 25 years. By 2020, India's installed nuclear power generation capacity will increase to 20,000 MW, as experts say. India now ranks sixth in terms of production of nuclear energy, behind the U.S., France, Japan, Russia, and South Korea.

Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which has hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009. Due to these trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.

Now, foreign technology and fuel are expected to boost India's nuclear power plants considerably. All plants will have high indigenous engineering content.

India has a vision of becoming a world leader in nuclear technology due to its expertise in fast reactors and thorium fuel cycle.

Israel

Over the past few years, Israel has begun to express an interest in developing a civil nuclear sector. Specifically, the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission has cited the need for nuclear power given an increasing shortage of indigenous electricity production capacity and the government's interest in reducing Israel's dependence on imported energy sources.

Israel maintains that it cannot accede to the NPT, adopt full scope safeguards, and join other nonproliferation regimes as long as other countries in the region have chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them. However, Tel Aviv conditions negotiation of a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone on the peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, while the Arab states have traditionally insisted on Israeli nuclear disarmament as a condition for peace. In September 2012, Israel's representative to the IAEA indicated that due to ongoing instability in the region, his government would not participate in the conference.



 

Pakistan

Pakistan's first nuclear reactor was established with help from the United States in 1965 during the regime of military dictator Gen Ayub Khan. Gen Khan's protege and then foreign minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was the driving force behind the programme, which was based at Nilore near Islamabad. It was set up under the Atoms for Peace programme initiated by President Dwight D Eisenhower. At the time it was strictly peaceful and intended to help meet Pakistan's civilian energy needs under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

A few years later Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto launched a nuclear weapons programme in 1974 as India and Pakistan competed in a new South Asian arms race. Codenamed Project 706, Pakistan's plan to enrich its own uranium was conceived and led by Munir Ahmed Khan, a brilliant US-trained nuclear and electronics engineer.

Pakistan is believed to have developed a nuclear device by 1984. Since then Pakistan's nuclear power complex has undergone a rapid expansion.

The organization in charge is the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which is headed by a civilian nuclear physicist or engineer. It operates eight fuel production and enrichment facilities, three mining concerns and one heavy water production facility.

Pakistan has made rapid advances - it is now said to have 70-90 weapons in its stockpile. Many of these have been miniaturised to be mounted on ballistic missiles with ranges of more than 2,000km (1,245 miles), bringing many Indian cities within reach.

China is believed to have played a critical role in Pakistan's nuclear program, and is said to have helped it manufacture many of its weapons.


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 767


<== previous page | next page ==>
Nuclear non-proliferation | Nuclear terrorism. New threats
doclecture.net - lectures - 2014-2024 year. Copyright infringement or personal data (0.008 sec.)