Corey Hinderstein
Vice President, International Fuel Cycle Strategies
Connecting the Pillars of the NPT: Multilateral Disarmament Verification and Non-Proliferation
Lars Van Dassen
With 191 states parties, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) serves as the foundation for global efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. A key pillar of the treaty is its commitment to disarmament, and it calls on all states—those with and without nuclear weapons—to contribute to the process. But the treaty leaves important questions unanswered: How can non-nuclear weapon states fulfill their obligation to contribute to disarmament if they are not allowed access to nuclear weapons and have no knowledge of their design, specific materials, or applied technologies? How can nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states cooperate to verify disarmament while also protecting proliferation-sensitive information?
This new NTI Paper, Connecting the Pillars of the NPT: Multilateral Disarmament Verification and Non-Proliferation, is a unique analytical contribution that explores the juxtaposition of NPT disarmament obligations and verification challenges. Authors Corey Hinderstein and Lars van Dassen address key questions and posit that non-proliferation and disarmament efforts can be reinforcing and not contradictory, especially regarding verification.
About the Authors
Corey Hinderstein is Vice President of International Fuel Cycle Strategies at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, where she co-leads the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification secretariat with the U.S. State Department. She edited the book Cultivating Confidence: Verification, Monitoring, and Enforcement for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons (Hoover Institution Press, 2010) and co-authored the Innovating Verification: New Tools and New Actors to Reduce Nuclear Risks report series.
Lars van Dassen is the Executive Director of the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS). Prior to joining WINS on January 1, 2021, he was Director of the Office for International Relations at the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM). In this capacity, he participated in the Quad Nuclear Verification Partnership and International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification.
This paper was generously supported by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM).
Stay Informed
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on nuclear and biological threats.
Eric Brewer on “South Korea’s Nuclear Flirtations”
Eric Brewer, deputy vice president for NTI’s Nuclear Materials Security Program, co-authored a piece for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace titled “South Korea’s Nuclear Flirtations Highlight the Growing Risks of Allied Proliferation.”
Eric Brewer on the Iranian Nuclear Program’s Entry Into Dangerous New Territory
Eric Brewer calls on Washington to improve its ability to detect and respond to Iran’s nuclear activities now that its nuclear program enters “dangerous new territory” with enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Statement by the EASLG: Shrinking the Zone of Confrontation and Competition: Principles for Euro-Atlantic Security and the Global Nuclear Order
The co-conveners and participants of the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group call for the re-establishment of basic principles relating to security and nuclear order.