During the early 1960’s, President Kennedy and his successors reached out to other nations to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. The result was the creation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. The treaty struck a basic deal: that the five nuclear powers (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China) would eventually disarm, and the non-nuclear states would not pursue nuclear weapons programs. The treaty permits all States to reserve the right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, such as providing energy.
 
The U.S. ratified the treaty in 1970, and the Obama administration is committed to supporting non-proliferation and disarmament efforts. Every five years, States gather to discuss the treaty’s progress and chart the way forward for implementing the goals of the NPT. Citizens for Global Solutions believes that States must take significant steps toward preventing proliferation, and the recognized nuclear-weapons states should pursue good faith negotiations on disarmament.

• Official Treaty Text: The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• Q&A: Understanding the 2010 NPT Review Conference - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Article: An Introduction to the 2010 NPT Review Conference - Acronym Institute
• Article: A five-point plan to rid world of nuclear bombs, by Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
• Publication: A World Free of Nuclear Weapons - U.S. Department of State, E-Journal, February 2010