Nuclear disarmament

Nuclear disarmament is the reduction or elimination of nuclear weapons through unilateral action or negotiated agreements. It can involve warhead dismantlement, delivery-system limits, and measures to prevent renewed buildup.

Arms control: Agreements and policies that limit, regulate, or reduce military capabilities and activities. Nuclear disarmament often advances through limits and verification before weapons are eliminated.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The United States' nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The attacks made the human consequences of nuclear weapons central to disarmament demands.
Joseph Rotblat: A Polish-born physicist who left the Manhattan Project and campaigned against nuclear weapons. His scientific expertise and public advocacy linked nuclear disarmament to moral responsibility.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: A 1968 treaty that seeks to prevent nuclear weapons spread, promote disarmament, and enable peaceful nuclear cooperation. Its Article VI commits parties to pursue negotiations on nuclear disarmament.
Nuclear deterrence: A strategy that seeks to prevent attacks by threatening unacceptable nuclear retaliation. Disarmament challenges security doctrines built around the threat of nuclear retaliation.
Nuclear disarmament verification: Methods for confirming that states have dismantled nuclear weapons and met disarmament commitments. Inspections and monitoring help establish that declared reductions are genuine.
Baruch Plan: A 1946 United States proposal for international control of atomic energy and the elimination of national atomic arsenals. It was an early attempt to connect nuclear elimination with international inspection.
Linus Pauling: An American chemist and peace activist who campaigned against nuclear testing and won the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. His petition against atmospheric testing helped build pressure for a test-ban agreement.
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: A 1987 United States–Soviet treaty that eliminated their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. It demonstrated verified elimination of a whole category of nuclear-capable delivery systems.
Nuclear proliferation: The spread of nuclear weapons, weapons technology, or weapons-usable materials to additional states or actors. Credible disarmament can reinforce efforts to prevent new states from acquiring nuclear weapons.

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