Proposed treaty is the wrong way to prevent nuclear war

Some attempts to rid the world of nuclear weapons, like the proposed multi-lateral nuclear-ban treaty, could prove self-defeating, writes Carl Bildt            

A vast majority of countries want to eliminate the existential threat of nuclear catastrophe, and rightly so. But achieving a world free of nuclear weapons is easier said than done, and there is a risk that some attempts to do so could prove self-defeating.

Since the end of the Cold War, nuclear stockpiles around the world have been significantly reduced. Russia and the US have each shrunk their nuclear arsenals by 80%, and during Barack Obama’s presidency, the US urged Russia to pursue further reductions. In Western Europe, the US and France have both made their already small arsenals even smaller.