SIPRI Yearbook 2024: Armaments, Disarmaments, and International Security released | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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SIPRI Yearbook 2024: Armaments, Disarmaments, and International Security released

Posted 18 Jun 2024

2 min read

Established in 1966, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an independent international institute based in Sweden.

Key Highlights on Nuclear Armament

  • Nine nuclear-armed states — US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel — continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals.
  • Of total 12,121 nuclear warheads, almost 90% belongs to USA and Russia.
  • Global reductions of operational warheads appear to have stalled with China expanding its nuclear arsenal. 
  • India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal to 172 in 2023, surpassing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal for first time. 
    • Along with Israel, India mainly uses Plutonium as fissile material in nuclear weapons.

Challenges to nuclear disarmament

  • War in Ukraine has negative impact on bilateral and multilateral engagement on nuclear arms control and raises the concern of nuclear disaster.
  • Worsening Russian-US Strategic Relations: Russia suspended its membership of 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) and withdrew its ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  • Israel-Hamas War: It undermined efforts to initiate Iran’s cooperation with IAEA and engaging Israel in Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction. 

Measures taken for Nuclear Disarmament

  • Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons 2017: It prohibits development, testing, production, acquisition, possession, or use of nuclear weapons.
  • Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) 1968: It aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and achieve nuclear disarmament.
  • Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996: It prohibits nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, outer space and under water.
  • Tags :
  • SIPRI
  • NPT
  • Nuclear Armament
  • Nuclear Disarmament
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