Latin American Approaches to Irreversibility in Nuclear Disarmament

Abstract

In the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s (NPT) context, irreversibility has been accepted as a critical principle of multilateral nuclear disarmament. Debates within the expert community and during the NPT Review Process, however, recognise the need to better understand the concept and its role in achieving and sustaining a world free of nuclear weapons. Therefore, the principle of irreversibility is still unclear, and the scope of its content is subject to competing interpretations. This paper deals with the concept of irreversibility in the context of nuclear disarmament from an interdisciplinary approach considering its technical, legal, and political aspects. It explicitly explores Latin American views of such a universal concept. The research relies on analyses of relevant information from Latin American experts and compares it with other sources. Focusing on a regional approach and its specificity could help identify ways that local perceptions can effectively feed into the global debate.