Nuclear-Free Zones as a Step Towards Global Nuclear Disarmament

Abstract

The realisation that general and complete disarmament, as the ultimate objective of arms control efforts, is unlikely to be attainable in the foreseeable future has generated interest in partial disarmament measures in states, regions, the United Nations, and other international fora around the world. These measures include the concept of ‘nuclear-free zones (NFZ) and ‘nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ)¹, designed as a means of securing the prohibition of nuclear weapons and other related components of nuclear strategy from designated parts of the globe. Existing treaties and proposals vary between the use of the two terms, depending on how comprehensive a system they envisage. According to the established definition of a NWFZ, the prohibition applies to nuclear weapons only (usually taken to mean nuclear ‘explosives’, that is, nuclear bombs and warheads). Where, however, the system also seeks to control some ‘non-weapon nuclear activity’ (such as in the case of the South Pacific zone which also, inter alia, prohibits dumping of nuclear waste), it is generally referred to as a ‘NFZ’. This definition is usually understood to exclude technical facilities also used for civilian purposes, such as radars, civilian nuclear power plants, and so on.