THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 21 February 2020 (Iran Parliament introduces motion to leave nuclear proliferation treaty (Mint))

Iran Parliament introduces motion to leave nuclear proliferation treaty (Mint)

Mains Paper 2: International
Prelims level: Nuclear proliferation treaty
Mains level: Various agreements and their mandate

Context:

• A motion for Iran to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was introduced in Iran’s parliament. So far it is not clear when parliament might vote on the motion.
• To become a law, the proposal would have to be passed by lawmakers in two readings and then ratified by the Guardian Council, a body that is in charge of ensuring bills do not contradict religious laws or Iran’s constitution.
• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, has the final say on all state matters like Tehran’s nuclear policy.

NPT: A Success:

• With the adherence of 190 countries out of 195, the NPT is close to universal world participation.
• It remains unique as there is no other international agreement based on a bargain between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states. The Treaty facilitates cooperation on peaceful applications of nuclear technology under the watch of the IAEA.
• It can be credited with embedding the non-proliferation norm that is responsible for keeping the number of countries armed with nuclear weapons lower than ten.

NPT: Failed To Prevent the Spread of Nuclear Weapons:

• NPT in its present form tries to prevent horizontal proliferation but cannot prevent vertical proliferation. Failure to prevent horizontal spreading can be seen in case of Iran, Libya and N Korea.
• There are still almost 16,000 nuclear weapons in existence, many of them on hair-trigger alert and far more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
• There is no truthful adherence to the treaty. Many countries even after joining NPT continued clandestine nuclear programmes including Brazil, South Africa, Iran and Iraq.
• Today NPT has been reduced to a treaty which protects the rights of five nuclear weapon state. These states are contributing to the vertical proliferation of nuclear weapons.
• Failure by China and the United States to resolve the North Korea nuclear and missile problem, and a collapse of the JCPOA, makes it much more difficult for the NPT members to maintain unity in tackling non-proliferation challenges.

Conclusion:

• NPT is a discriminatory treaty which divides the world into nuclear haves and have not. In the absence of truthful adherence, it does not make world safer from the threat of nuclear weapons.
• It is believed that Treaty is at risk of becoming obsolete and eventually collapsing, because of proliferation challenges and disputes about disarmament.
• It is high time to formulate a global, time bound, verifiable & non-discriminatory treaty to eliminate all nuclear weapons from the face of the earth, which has been India’s consistent position since the beginning.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the ‘The Future of Earth, 2020’ report, consider the following statements:
1. It was released by UNFCCC.
2. According to the report the five global risks are: failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation; extreme weather events; major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; food crises; and water crises.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None of the above

Ans: B
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) failed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology. Critically Discuss.