Head of IAEA calls for update to Non-Proliferation Treaty.
A few days before the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to report on the Iranian program to build nuclear weapons, the agency’s chief Mohammed ElBaradei calls for an update to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. (*) Between 35 and 40 countries can build nuclear weapons today. In the event that another nation builds such weapons, its neighbors would be tempted to build them as well.
ElBaradei suggests that all nuclear weapons be placed under some form of multilateral supervision, and that non-proliferation of them be made an overriding principle of international law. (†)
That sounds like an excellent suggestion. It should remain an option for the United States to keep some of its weapons outside of multilateral supervision, however, to prevent the possbility that terrorists infiltrate and seize control of the multilateral supervisory organization, where they would then proceed to blackmail free countries.
ElBaradei is to be commended for highlighting the need for a revised treaty framework.