Bilateralism and Multilateralism in Nuclear Negotiations

• In Event: Nuclear Diplomacy

Abstract

How do different institutional formats for negotiations on nuclear issues influence each other? Multilateralism and bilateralism involve different sets of rules, incentives, and actors that together shape available options for governing nuclear weapons. Although scholars and policymakers often posit a link between nonproliferation and arms control/disarmament in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the nature of this link and how it is expressed in nuclear negotiations remains unspecified. This paper examines how differences in bilateral and multilateral diplomatic formats—and the interplay between them—have shaped the US approach to negotiations on nuclear issues and the outcomes of these processes. It illustrates these pathways by examining the interplay between a) multilateral negotiations in the late 1960s over the NPT and the bilateral SALT negotiations and b) multilateral negotiations over the 2010 NPT Review Conference and bilateral negotiations over the 2011 New START. By analyzing how different institutional formats shape one another in the development of agreements governing nuclear weapons, this paper enriches understanding of the development of nuclear governance and the effects of arms control and nonproliferation agreements. In doing so, it provides insights regarding how institutional formats provide both challenges and opportunities for future nuclear negotiations.

Author

• Naomi Egel, University of Georgia