Establishing Nuclear Weapons Obligations for a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

ABSTRACT The United Nations General Assembly in 2019 held its first annual conference with the “aim of elaborating a legally binding treaty establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction”. This process will need to consider what might be the core obligations relating to nuclear weapons to include in the long sought for treaty and zone. The measures suggested in this article draw on and w\ould serve to reinforce commitments that many states in the region have already accepted or offered support for, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The article also suggests some general principles and time-bound measures drawn from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that if adopted could enable a sustained period of confidence-building to stabilize a Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction. If a core aim of the Zone is to strengthen the stability of the region against nuclear proliferation risks, a shutdown of nuclear power programs would offer enduring benefits.