Title: An historical transitional nuclear moment: the nuclear cliff 2009/2010

Authors: Ibrahim Said Ibrahim

Addresses: Egyptian Embassy, P.O. Box GP 2508, Accra, Ghana

Abstract: The history of the nuclear age makes clear that opportunities to condense the serious dangers posed by nuclear weapons are often transitory. The accumulated international discussions and events in 2009/2010 pave the way for the international community to reshape and enhance the current international nuclear situation. Different events took place in 2009 on many levels (internationally, regionally and bilaterally) and with more to come to pass in 2010, of great importance, including the Nuclear Security Summit in April, the review conference for the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) May 2010, and strategic weapons reduction negotiations between the USA and Russia. Since the Chernobyl accident, the international community has not witnessed such escalating nuclear presence on the international agenda, and a condition of advantageous approach must be dealt within this transitional moment, that may lead to the adoption of an international nuclear weapons convention, or to total nuclear chaos and destabilisation of international security.

Keywords: history; NPT; nuclear security; Obama; nuclear abolition; roadmap; nuclear non-proliferation; nuclear weapons; strategic weapons reduction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNUCL.2010.033772

International Journal of Nuclear Law, 2010 Vol.3 No.1, pp.19 - 32

Published online: 30 Jun 2010 *

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