THE eleventh Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ended without consensus on May 23, 2026. Nevertheless, participants underscored the escalating dangers of nuclear proliferation and the heightened probability of nuclear weapons use. The protracted Ukrainian war, Israel’s and the United States’ invasion of Iran and the breakdown of bilateral arms control treaties between Russia and the US have all severely undermined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime. The NPT was introduced at the height of the Cold War and signed on 1 July 1968. It entered into force in March 1970. It went into effect with almost 100 states as original signatories and today counts 191 state parties. Its scope included disarmament, arms control and proliferation of nuclear technology for the civilian application or “peaceful” use of the atom for nuclear power generation, medical treatment and improving agricultural yield. The NPT Review Conference is held every five years.

The NPT has created a discriminatory nuclear order by dividing the world into nuclear “haves” (countries that tested nuclear weapons before 1967) and “have-nots” (everyone else). Therefore, the Treaty recognizes only five states as legitimate nuclear-weapon states: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. This........

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