Preventing the Spread of Nuclear Weapons

Abstract

Our prime objective in Pugwash is to eliminate the danger of nuclear war. This danger arises both from the growing intensity of the nuclear arms race between the superpowers (vertical proliferation), and from the spreading of nuclear weapons among many nations (horizontal proliferation). However, there is an important difference in the nature of the effort needed to reduce the danger from these two sources. Vertical proliferation needs to be contained and eventually eliminated; horizontal proliferation needs to be prevented. Because the fact is that the dreaded spread of nuclear weapons, predicted for a long time¹•, has not materialised. For the past 20 years there has been no addition to the number of nuclear weapon states, at least not formally or overtly.