The UK-US Nuclear Cooperation and AUKUS Within the Context of Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the nuclear cooperation between the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. The topic is of high relevance due to the growing number of threats to the international non-proliferation regime coming from both official nuclear-armed states and unofficial ones. Special attention is paid to the evolution of interaction forms between states since the beginning of the Cold War, when the basic principles of interstate nuclear cooperation were shaped. The article determines the role of AUKUS in the Western security architecture and describes the threats posed by the agreement to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Consideration of both topics—British-American nuclear cooperation in the 20th century and modern cooperation within AUKUS—helps to determine the transformation of the Anglo-Saxon countries’ approaches to transferring nuclear technology to other countries. The methodology of the research relies on the historical and genetic approach.
The author notes that in the second half of the 20th century, the US created a mechanism for transferring nuclear materials and information to another nuclear power, the UK. Since then, the British nuclear deterrent forces have been dependent on this partnership. Currently, communication in this area is strengthening, as evidenced by the decision to indefinitely extend the 1958 Mutual Defense Treaty. In the 2020s, with the creation of the AUKUS alliance, Australia has become a more prominent participant in Anglo-Saxon nuclear cooperation. A new legal mechanism is being designed for transferring nuclear submarines (which do not carry nuclear explosive devices) from a nuclear-armed state to a non-nuclear-weapon country. The article concludes that the present-day cooperation between Anglo-Saxon countries in the nuclear field creates a dangerous precedent that threatens the nuclear non-proliferation regime and engenders risks of spreading this practice worldwide, thereby undermining existing international institutions, primarily the IAEA.
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Review
For citations:
Aleksandrova A. The UK-US Nuclear Cooperation and AUKUS Within the Context of Nuclear Non-Proliferation. International Aspect. 2024;5(2):35-48. (In Russ.)
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