Achieving Success Beyond Final Documents: Recommendations for the 2026 NPT Review Conference

• Published in: Arms control today Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 18 - 21
• Main Authors: Zhou, Ian Fleming, Hesse, Valeriia, Schmitz, Anna-Elisabeth, Touzinsky, Karina
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Arms Control Association 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Agreements; Arms control & disarmament; Conferences, meetings and seminars; Cooperation; Geopolitics; Nuclear arms control; Nuclear nonproliferation; United States; Russia; Iraq; Iran; United States > US; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics > USSR
• ISSN: 0196-125X; 1943-5754

In this environment, the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference scheduled for 2026 will be a juncture for the nuclear nonproliferation regime, demanding a reinvigoration of arms control and multilateral diplomacy amid the continuous erosion of crucial arms control instruments. Otherwise, the continued failure of the review conference process could contribute to several major negative consequences: further erosion of arms control frameworks, expansion of geopolitical tensions, diminished confidence in multilateral diplomacy, and the increased risk of nuclear conflict and nuclear proliferation. During the review conferences of the 1980s, the international environment was strained and marked by the invasion of Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq war, and setbacks in arms control negotiations. The lessons learned from these conferences can inform the approach to achieving success in 2026 in a similarly strained geopolitical environment. In particular, analysis of the 1985 review conference can help identify key success factors. This is especially true when considering adept negotiation tactics and the strategic emphasis on incremental achievements to cultivate cooperation in the realm of future nuclear nonproliferation.