NPT as a Social Contract: Challenges and Options for 2010 RevCon
In: Cultural and Ethical Turns: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Culture, Politics and EthicsSearch for other papers by Salma Shaheen in
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The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is facing serious challenges from within and the NPT Review Conference (RevCon) 2010 is going to be an important moment in the history of the Treaty, especially after 2005 RevCon’s failure. The disappointment at RevCon 2005 occasionally pointed towards the unravelling of the Treaty, which is not a cause for optimism. However, the success rate of NPT has been estimated by different scholars in diverse ways. In this respect, the success in terms of wider membership is diminutive against the Treaty’s failure to address the issues of non-compliance (Iran), withdrawal (DPRK), and three nuclear weapon states (Defacto-3) i.e., India, Pakistan, Israel, that are not party to the Treaty. These problems are discussed from different approaches but this chapter aims to explore and assess NPT’s value from a social contract framework - a contract between nuclear haves (five nuclear weapon states (NWS) i.e., US, UK, Russia, France, and China) and have-nots (non nuclear weapon states, NNWS). Social contract theory is selected in order to understand contemporary challenges to NPT from an ethical viewpoint. The inalienable right to peaceful nuclear energy and obligation of NWS of nuclear disarmament under NPT need to be revisited under this discourse. The essence of social contract theory is the ruler-subject relationship in which weak and powerful entities come closer to undertake rights and obligations, and form contracts, which serve their respective interests. Entities have a common interest of security or maintaining status quo in undergoing a contract. However, it is argued that enforcement mechanism and respect for contracting parties’ sovereignty are important aspects to be maintained within the contract.