The Collapsing Nonproliferation Regime

Stephen Younger, author of the recent book The Bomb: A New History, authored an oped for the Wall Street Journal that dicusses current nonproliferation efforts and how close they are to unraveling.   The article argues that the combination of problems including North Korea, Iran, the lack of article IV progress, and the weak policy attention in the United States complicate the nonproliferation effort. He also discusses some of the common objections to the move towards disarmament.  As a solution to the current proliferation risks, Younger postulates:

 Perhaps the most prudent course would be to show good faith by reducing existing nuclear stockpiles while developing rigorous verification technologies that would provide assurance against cheaters. A detailed plan could be established with goals and timelines, including off-ramps in case we cannot find adequate means of verification or if international tensions rise to unacceptable levels.  A failure of the international regime to halt and reverse the spread of nuclear weapons is too horrible to contemplate -- all the more reason to take whatever actions we can to assure the success of next year's review conference.