Reuters: US, Britain, France, Others Skip Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Talks

About 40 countries are declining to join UN talks for a nuclear weapons ban treaty and remain committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in force since 1970. A French ambassador argued that global security conditions are not right for such a ban, and the US ambassador to the UN questioned if anyone believed that rogue nations like North Korea would agree to such a ban. “The Trump administration is reviewing whether it will reaffirm the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, a White House aide said last week, referring to an aim embraced by previous Republican and Democratic presidents and required by a key arms control treaty,” reports Michelle Nichols for Reuters. Nine nations have nuclear weapons and maintain trust in deterrence, though an official International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons expressed fears for a new arms race. – YaleGlobal