Why Do States That Oppose Nuclear Proliferation Resist New Nonproliferation Obligations?
Why do states that oppose nuclear proliferation resist initiatives to strengthen the nonproliferation regime? There is virtually universal support for the basic principle of nonproliferationall countries but four are states-party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Yet enthusiasm among NPT parties for proposals to strengthen the nonproliferation regime varies widely even as new challenges highlight dangerous gaps in the regime. There is something approaching consensus among scholars and policy-makers that many states resist proposals to strengthen the nonproliferation end of the NPT bargain largely because America and other NWS havent made satisfactory progress towards nuclear disarmament. I suggest this consensus rests primarily on an argument about the role of norms in international affairs: some states oppose NPT-plus measures not necessarily because they fear the NWS will use nuclear weapons against them, but because of what accepting those measures would symbolize. This article
