Weapons of mass destruction

or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm

to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere.
It is used for inflicting massive destruction and casualties at a large space
WMD have significant and long-term side effects (e.g. Hiroshima)
Some activities (e.g. terrorist attack at the nuclear power plant, or a “dirty bomb” explosion) may have similar impact to the WMD

(nuclear, biological, chemical)
Sometimes - missile technologies and delivery systems
New -

electromagnetic weapons
High probability – high-precision weapons, lasers, robots (cyber-humans), cyber attacks against critical infrastructure
Low probability – genetic, tectonic, climate

Treaty – 1967
NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) – 1968-1970
BWC (Biological Weapons

Convention) -1972-1975
CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention) – 1993-1997
CTBT (Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty) – 1996

Also -
Seabed Arms Control Treaty
Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

United Kingdom
Concerns about the nuclear fallout and other effects of

the test explosions (hydrogen bomb, Bikini Atoll, etc.)
Need to control the progress of nuclear weapons and have security guarantees for mutually assured destruction (MAD)
Only underground tests were allowed
Monitoring of implementation and verification mechanisms

by the USA, the UK, and the USSR
Bars from placing

WMD in orbit of Earth, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer space
Only peaceful use of the Moon and other celestial bodies, cannot be occupied and no sovereignty
No tests of weapons of any kind, maneuvers or bases and fortifications
Exploration of space is free for all countries and should be to the benefit of all countries
BUT: conventional arms are not prohibited – a threat of arms race in outer space

technology)
Disarmament (to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and

general and complete disarmament)
Peaceful uses of nuclear energy (to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy)
NPT Review Conferences – every 5 years
Indefinite duration of the treaty

the USA (permanent members of the UN Security Council, P-5)

Unofficial

NWS – India and Pakistan (nuclear tests in 1998), Israel (opacity policy), North Korea (the first country that officially left the NPT)

States that abandoned the NWS status – South Africa, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Libya

to acquire nuclear weapons and NWS in exchange agree to

share the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology and to pursue nuclear disarmament aimed at the ultimate elimination of their nuclear arsenals

NWS agree not to transfer nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices and not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce a NNWS to acquire nuclear weapons

NWS provide security guarantees not fixed in the NPT (declaration of no-use against NNWS unless there is a nuclear attack)

the NPT upon the will of the State Party (North

Korea and no serious consequences for her)
Nuclear weapons as an assurance against attack (if you have them, the risk of direct military attack is lower, deterrence mechanism)
Unofficial NWS do not comply legally with the provisions of the treaty (Pakistan sharing the technology)
Nuclear-sharing agreements (US nuclear bombs deployed and stored in Europe)

good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the

nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament
Slow progress towards Nuclear Zero and Nuclear-Weapon-Free zones (NWFZ)
The US and Russia reduced sharply in comparison with the peak of the Cold War (the 1970-1980s), others – wait.
US-Russian arms limitation and reduction treaties – SALT, START, SORT, ABM Treaty, unilateral commitments on tactical NW
More political than military importance of nuclear weapons

impediments to make it difficult to transfer the peaceful program

into a weapon program
IAEA safeguards – reporting and inspections
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) – standards in trade
Problems:
Uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing capabilities – dual-use and non-compliance
FMCT (Fissile material cut-off treaty) negotiations
35-40 countries have knowledge to develop nuclear weapons

ratified by all 44 states that have nuclear power reactors

or research reactors
India, Pakistan, North Korea – not even signed
China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, US – signed but not ratified

CTBTO – organization to prepare the entry into force and further verification, including onsite inspections (a network of monitoring centers, data center, etc.)

of BW)
The first multilateral treaty banning the production of an

entire category of weapons
Prohibits possession, development and stockpiling of biological agents and toxins
Permitted purposes - prophylactic, protective and other peaceful purposes
No verification mechanism

destruction of existing CW arsenals with the specific schedule and

deadlines – 90% already destroyed by 2015

OPCW for verification – monitors the implementation of the destruction process

with high proliferation and low restrictions
Firearms (machine-guns, rifles, etc.) and

light weapons (grenade launchers, rocket launchers, landmines, rocket-propelled and hand grenades, etc.)
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) – bottom-up initiative (from NGOs to governments) entered into force in 2014
No supplies to arms-embargoed states, to countries with human rights abuses, and terrorism
Standards in export and import controls, check the destination and end users