Nuclear Proliferation In Canada

Two main theorists of international relations, Kenneth Waltz and Scott Sagan have been debating on the issue of nuclear weapons and the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the 21st century. In their book The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: An Enduring Debate, they both discuss their various theories, assumptions and beliefs on nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons. To examine why states would want to attain/develop a nuclear weapon and if increasing nuclear states is a good or bad thing. In my paper, I will discuss both of their theories and use a case study to illustrate which theory I agree with and then come up with possible solutions of preventing a nuclear war from occurring.

Canada currently does not, nor have they ever indicated at creating a nuclear weapons program, this is due to their status as a non-nuclear weapon state by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as the reliance on the United States for nuclear defense. The following paper will detail Canadian nuclear energy and weapons policy, beginning with a description of their nuclear program. The next section will discuss the reasons for Canada’s avoidance of a nuclear weapons program and the current policy behind the nuclear program. Following will be a discussion of Canada’s nuclear weapons program and the policy on nuclear weapons. The paper will conclude with Canadian concerns over the current nuclear program of Iran.

Since the invention of nuclear weapons, they have presented the world with a significant danger, one that was shown in reality during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, nuclear weapons have not only served in combat, but they have also played a role in keeping the world peaceful by the concept of deterrence. The usage of nuclear weapons would lead to mutual destruction and during the Cold War, nuclear weapons were necessary to maintain international security, as a means of deterrence. However, by the end of the Cold War, reliance on nuclear weapons for maintaining peace became increasingly difficult and less effective (Shultz, et. al, 2007). The development of technology has also provided increasing opportunities for states

Canada, like most countries, has a unique approach to the formulation of its foreign policy. Because of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of Canadian foreign policy, a number of theories and perspectives have been formulated in order to properly engage and study this area of governmental policy. Perhaps the most dominant of these theories is the Liberal Internationalist perspective. The Liberal Internationalist, or LI, perspective sees Canada as a middle tier power at the international level (Kirton 2007, 29). This perspective recognizes that although Canada is an active, valuable member of the global community, it does not have the same power capabilities relative to those of major power, or principal states (Kirton 2007, 54).

Libya has long been considered a state threatening the interests of the WMD non-proliferation regimes. Though Libya is a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT, "[its] commitment to the accord is suspect because of [its] demonstrated interest in acquiring nuclear arms" (Jones 1995:15). This resolution became more suspicious when Libya joined Bhutan and India in casting a negative vote in the overall 158 to 3 vote in favor of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (Jones 1995:16).

Non-Proliferation policy derives from the Non-Proliferation treaty, “it is an international treaty with the objective to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament”(UNODA) . First signed in 1968, the treaty officially began in 1970. as agreed in the treaty, after 25 years there was a meeting which concluded with the extension of the Non proliferation treat indefinitely. The treaty has open knowledge of 5 states holding nuclear-weapons and of their exact quantities they are; the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China and France these are also the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The Non proliferation treaty is split into two articles. Article 1 with regard to the nuclear positive states and their agreements, Article 2 states the course for the Non nuclear states.

There have been a number of treaties and agreements seeking to limit and control the proliferation of nuclear arms, however, there have been constant breaches of these agreements and treaties. The latest breach is the recent claim by the North Korea’s Government that they have tested a Hydrogen bomb, in violation of the terms of a treaty they had agreed on.

The treaty of the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the basis for the nonproliferation regime. Nonproliferation has three reinforcing pillars; they are the peaceful use of nuclear, nonproliferation and disarmament. These stop the spread of nuclear weapons internationally. The reason for non-proliferation treaty is “countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament; countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them; and all countries can access peaceful nuclear

Controlling both the horizontal and vertical spread of nuclear weapons has always been a subject of international concern since nuclear weapons began being developed in the early 20th century. There are three main types of weapons of mass destruction: chemical, biological, and nuclear. Although all three types may be proliferated and present a serious threat to international security, the focus is placed on nuclear weapons because of their enormous destructive capacity. In today’s modern international system, the concern is centered on the spread of nuclear weapons to international terrorist organizations and unpredictable rogue states. If actors such as these were to acquire nuclear weapons, the damage that they could potentially enact on

The Global Governance lens shows that the nuclear states are given the responsibility to monitor the nuclear supply and prevent it from spreading. This

This is why more nuclear weapon-free states from all regions of the world than ever have expressed interest in a new path to nuclear disarmament within the framework of humanitarian discourse, writes NTI. Contrarily to

Nuclear power has the potential of being used for weapons of mass destruction that can wipe out an entire civilization with one shot. This is why making sure no country; especially Iran, has enough nuclear material to where they pose a threat on other countries is very important. Countries throughout the world have expressed concern about the amount of nuclear power Iran is in possession of. The Iran nuclear program has been a real worry for many years because enriched uranium might be used to create weapons of mass destruction. Over the last few years, many steps have been made to restrict the amount of nuclear material that Iran has in their possession. The P5+1 countries, made up of the United Nations’ most robust countries: United States, Russia, France, United Kingdom, and China, as well as Germany, came together to resolve the issues involving the Iranian nuclear program. The P5+1 and Iran came to agreement with the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which would limit the amount of nuclear material Iran would be allowed to have at any given time. The expansion and development of Iran’s nuclear program and its unpredictable government are perceived as threats by other countries around the world, which has led them to place limitations on Iran’s supplies of nuclear material.

Nowadays, in international relations, there are many norms and sets of rules set by the major global power. Some rules are followed, and some are not likely to be followed by states across the globe. Typically, rules such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are contested by a number of states. For instance, this particular treaty aims to reduce the further spread of nuclear weapons and to maintain peaceful cooperation between countries who currently possess nuclear weapons. In fact, several states do not comply with this treaty and numerous other rules. This list of countries includes North Korea, South Sudan, Israel and some other states. Therefore, in this paper, I aim to examine under what degree these states decide not to comply with global norms particularly, the nuclear weapons treaty. Furthermore, I also seek an answer to under what condition the North Korea pursues nuclear power and focuses extensively on their military strength. I will use the Realism, Constructivism, and finally Individualism theories to explain this argument. These three international relations theories will provide three different perspectives which will certainly explain why North Korean military spending over-performs their GDP and what objectives they hope to achieve as a result of this action. Moreover, I will also compare another states’ similar cases to North Korea in order to further develop my argument. The comparative perspective is salient because they will likely

Mongolia is a strong supporter and signatory of the Conference of Disarmament, which focuses on our common goal for non-proliferation of all nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and all other WMD’s, along with all conventional weapons, reduction of military budgets, reduction of armed forces, disarmament and development, and disarmament and international security. Furthermore, Mongolia strongly believes that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (1996) is a catalyst for all weapon disarmament and is a strong instrument for non-proliferation. It is a measure where progress can be seen in a relatively short time and should be brought into force at an immediate date. We call upon those states that have not ratified it to do so immediately for the sake of our international community. Mongolia also believes that the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty will also be a powerful tool for the prevention of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. We are pleased to be the 113th signatory of the ATT, which will foster international and human security, giving way for positive development of our regions.

Since the start of the United Nations, we as a world have been working towards peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, and China are offically declared nuclear weapons states of the world. To date, there are thirty-nine countries in the world (with the exception of the five weapons states) who are capable of producing nuclear weapons (“Disarmamment/Nuclear Non- Proliferation”). Indonesia has the capabilities, but does not have a nuclear weapons program (“Indonesia”).