Experts Urge for Nuclear Weapon Convention to Achieve a Nuclear Free World

April 03, 2014

New Delhi: The International Conference on ‘A Nuclear Weapon Free World: From Conception to Reality’, concluded on an optimistic note that ‘A Nuclear Free World’ could actually be a possibility, provided caution and pragmatism is exercised and nuclear weapon states go for deeper cuts in their nuclear weapons arsenal and the countries put an equal emphasis on disarmament and non proliferation. The conference was organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the Indian Pugwash Society, on April 2-3, 2014.

The panellists argued that the concept of nuclear free world will have to rest on a legally binding international instrument such as a Nuclear Weapon Convention. Traditional issues of nuclear disarmament were discussed along with several new issues.

The speakers insisted on stability of balance of power between important players like India-China, China-Japan, and the US and called for a legally binding international treaty regime to supplement the existing ones, while not undermining security based on those regimes. The role of non traditional social media was also discussed as crucial to generate awareness against nuclear weapons.

Earlier, discussing the roles and doctrines related to nuclear weapons, the panelists agreed that disarmament must be made a high-priority global common goal, for it to succeed. Trends in arsenals and doctrines, including continued modernisation of weapons systems and diversification of arsenals, emerging paradigm of restraint among nuclear weapon states (NWS), growing precision of weapons systems leading to changes in targeting practices, missile defence and long-range conventional weapons as a complement rather than substitute for nuclear weapons, were also discussed.

On the issue of reconciling moral and security imperatives for achieving nuclear disarmament, it was pointed out that diverse perspectives on nuclear disarmament were inconceivable without moral arguments. Urging on the need to address humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, the speakers asserted that achieving nuclear disarmament requires cooperation and trust, in the same way that deterrence stability required cooperation and trust.

The panellists pointed out that the main proliferation risks today are the regional insecurities and the idea that nuclear weapons can prevent conflict. Emphasis was put on the underlying drivers that lead to proliferation and ways to be out of this conundrum. The conference deliberated that nuclear proliferation is timeless. However availability of nuclear science and emerging technological developments are believed to impede the goals of new actors. An assessment of five different facets of nuclear terrorism was made. Attention was drawn to the current international mechanisms in place to address the dangers of nuclear dangers and practical steps were suggested to promote greater nuclear security. Emphasis was also made on increased efforts to ensure universality of the existing legal frameworks.

Gracing the event were 26 experts from renowned centres of knowledge and learning, including Dr Theresa Hitchens, Director, The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, Geneva, Switzerland; Dr Sverre Lodgaard, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, Ambassador-at-Large for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore; Dr James Acton, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA; Ambassador Rakesh Sood, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, etc.