nuclear proliferation

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile materials, and the technical knowledge and production capabilities needed to manufacture them to additional states or non-state actors beyond the original nuclear-armed states; the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which entered into force in 1970 and has near-universal membership, commits non-nuclear weapon states not to acquire nuclear weapons and commits nuclear weapon states to pursue disarmament, while allowing all states access to peaceful nuclear technology under international safeguards; proliferation risks have materialised in the cases of India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel, and concerns persist about potential programmes in additional states; nuclear proliferation represents one of the gravest risks to international security and remains a central preoccupation of arms control diplomacy