Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation at the End of the 20th Century

This essay describes the question of nuclear weapons non-proliferation within sight of the 21st century. It is divided into four sections. The first section describes how horizontal non-proliferation was accompanied during the so-called Cold War, by vertical proliferation that, today, is the problem we must face with renewed energy. The second section analyzes the results of what could be seen as a lost opportunity: the 1995 conference for revision and extension of the Nuclear Weapons Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). The third section examines the conditions that made complete prohibition of nuclear tests possible, in particular, the weight of international public opinion against the renewal of testing by France. The final recommendations underline the fact that achieving a world free from nuclear arms requires greater, more decisive participating by individuals, nongovernment organizations (NGO'S), and in general, civil society. Nuclear disarmament is too important to leave solely in the hands of governments and their political and military leaders.