Counties have been competing to develop nuclear weapons as a means of security motivations. States like Iran have concerns about their security, especially from their adversaries, such as the US. According to Hunter (2004), countries are motivated to acquire nuclear weapons to prepare for retaliation in an attack from another country. For example, Iran is motivated to acquire nuclear weapons after the US attacked Iraq and overthrew Iran's regime, making the US the 'axis of evil' due to its strong military power (Hunter, 2004). As a result, Iraq saw nuclear power as a source of military strength. Nuclear weapons are a source of a country's strength as countries compete to acquire modern weapons to achieve regional power. For example, Iran Nuclear Deal (2020) reported that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, claimed that his country has a nuclear missile that can reach the US and continue producing and test missiles as a show of power. Despite deviance from North Korea, the international community has succeeded in reducing the proliferation of nuclear weapons to avoid tension that the world increase global insecurity and instability through suspicions.
History of Nuclear Power
In 1945, the US dropped two nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to cause devastation and the end of WW II. After the end of the war, states have not used nuclear weapons after witnessing their devastating impacts. According to Tannenwald (2018), US and USSR’s presidents refrained from using nuclear weapons during the Korean War in 1954 and engaged in private talks to avoid using the weapons in the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis. In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was created to promote and oversee harmless nuclear technology to prevent the spread and proliferation of nuclear weapons (Hoon, 2017). In 1967, nuclear-weapons-free zones were established in Latin America, South Pacific in 1985, South East Asia in 1995, Africa in 1996, and Central Asia in 2006 to prohibit and prevent production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons (Hoon, 2017). Countries signed the first international nuclear treaty in 1968 under the UN General Assembly, named the Treaty of Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to avoid developing nuclear weapons but use atomic energy peacefully. In 1972, the US and USSR signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement Treaty to reduce the development of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
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Countries began developing nuclear weapons even after signing treaties to reduce the need for nuclear weapons; in 1974, India developed and tested a nuclear weapon code-named Smiling Buddha to test its power. The end of the Cold War increased the possibility of reducing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, with countries like Ukraine giving up their nuclear weapons. However, even though many countries have obliged with several treaties adopted to mitigate nuclear weapons, there still exists a threat in the continued manufacture of weapons. In 2003, North Korea withdrew from nuclear weapons treaties since they saw them as an infringement to the nation's dignity and security, and since then, the country has conducted a series of nuclear weapons tests (Blakemore, 2020). In 2015, the world powers agreed to a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran to limit nuclear weapons programs and adopt international atomic standards. The US later withdrew during President Trump's administration and imposed sanctions on Iran (Blakemore, 2020). The nuclear age underwent a 73-year tradition where countries agreed not to use nuclear weapons against each other. However, a great sense of revolution emerged as countries seek to develop nuclear weapons without control. Nuclear treaties are threatened by constant changing political alliances, and geographical strife as countries attempt to gain power through nuclear technology (Iran Nuclear Deal, 2020). For example, after over 100 countries endorsed the UN Treaty to ban nuclear weapons in 2017, the US, UK, France, as well as Russia failed to sign it since they have regulated nuclear weapons while upgrading their existing nuclear armor (Iran Nuclear Deal, 2020). Thus, the world is far from achieving nuclear-weapon-free status since countries are unwilling to ban them.
Background History of Iran Nuclear Deal
In 2015, Iran agreed to a program to manage its nuclear activities after a long time of negotiations with France, the US, Russia, Germany, China, and the UK. The agreement required Iran to reduce its nuclear activities and allow international inspections for the countries involved to lift their economic sanctions against it (NTI, 2021). Iran adopted its nuclear technology in the 1950s after the US-funded and equipped Tehran Nuclear Research Center with a reactor fuelled by highly enriched uranium, a program that ended in 1979 (Iran Watch, 2016). However, Iran continued its interest in nuclear technology, and it developed a sophisticated nuclear fuel cycle which alerted the international community. The approach also triggered negotiations, sanctions, and intense political rivalry, which bore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran adhered to the agreement, and all economic sanctions were lifted in 2016. However, in 2018, Trump announced the US cessation from the agreement and that the country would re-impose economic sanctions on Iran (Tagma & Lenze, 2020). Iran and members of the agreement opposed the move and declared their commitment to continue with the agreement in the absence of the US.
The sanctions against Iran have caused drastic disruption of the country's economy through a deep recession. After the deal was achieved, Iran experienced a 12.7% GDP growth in 2017 but later fell to 3.7% in 2019 after the US announced and implemented sanctions. The affected sectors include energy, shipping, as well as financial sectors. The unemployment rate increased to 16.8% in 2019 (BBC News, 2019). As a result, the cost of living has increased after Iran's currency value decreased by half. In return, Iran's government has imposed economic control measures, such as cutting petrol subsidies and increasing fuel costs, that have angered its citizens, causing numerous civil unrests that have left multiple deaths and scores injured (BBC News, 2019). The country began experiencing instability and strife.
More than 100 countries supported Iran's nuclear deal, led by Russia, China, France, UK, and Germany (Iran Deal, 2016). They were to engage in trading activities to increase Iran's source of economic livelihood. Additionally, they stopped trading nuclear materials to reduce the rate at which Iran accessed nuclear materials (Ferguson & Takeyh, 2016). Countries in the nuclear deal offer Iran incentives to control Iran's nuclear programs, impose economic sanctions if the country failed to honor the agreement, and engage in dialogues to reduce the need for nuclear energy (Mousavian & Mousavian, 2017). However, Israel was against the nuclear deal since its leader suspected Iran of hypocrisy and is intended to protect itself from Iran at all costs. It also believed that the deal provided Iran with the capability to develop nuclear weapons through funding and nurturing nuclear capacity. Prime Minister Netanyahu saw a more assertive Iran as a threat to regional peace and security (Naji, 2020).
Conclusion
The proliferation of nuclear weapons has been a contentious issue between countries since the US used the nuclear bomb on Japan during WW II. Due to their devastating impacts, nuclear weapons can be a source of military power to countries and a threat to international security. Nuclear weapons have threatened world peace during the Korean War and Cuban Missile crises, and were it not for the intervention of countries; the world would have experienced another war. Countries have signed nuclear agreements to enhance a nuclear-weapons-free world, except for North Korea that saw nuclear weapons treaties as an infringement of the country's security and dignity. The most significant nuclear deal is the Iran Nuclear Deal that saw Iran reduce its nuclear capacity to eliminate economic sanctions. The deal has boosted economic growth, although the economy stumbled after the US withdrew from the deal. Although most countries supported the deal, Israel saw it as a threat to Middle East's stability and peace. Even though the world is yet to reduce the proliferation of nuclear weapons and countries are still improving their existing nuclear technology, the world is more stable since there are regulations to control the development and use of nuclear weapons.
References
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Blakemore, E. (2020). How the advent of nuclear weapons changed the course of history . National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-advent-nuclear-weapons-changed-history
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The History of Nuclear Proliferation
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Narji, K. (2020). Iran nuclear deal: Shadow of sabotage hangs over critical talks . BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56716472
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