The 2026 Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Review Conference revealed a treaty still alive, but under strain. Yet the real danger, argues Leonardo Bandarra, may be less dramatic than collapse. States may keep praising the NPT, while trusting it less. The myth of Orpheus offers a simple warning about what doubt can destroy
France claims that a 'safer’ Europe is the goal of its new nuclear policy. Yet Robin Gilman argues that undermining the nonproliferation treaty is eroding the EU’s credibility and safety, leaving it at a crossroads. It can either remain a reliable partner – or fuel the collapse of the rules-based order
France’s new nuclear posture and Russia’s nuclear build-up in Belarus have made Europe feel vulnerable. But, argues Olamide Samuel, stronger nuclear rhetoric will not make Europe safer or more independent. Europe’s real task is to rebuild arms control, consultation, and dialogue before nuclear danger becomes harder to contain
The US has accused China of carrying out a 'yield-producing' nuclear test in 2020 – but the global test-ban monitor found no supporting evidence. Syeda Saba Batool argues that the dispute matters anyway: such allegations can be used to pressure China into talks – and to normalise a possible US return to testing
Deterrence is back — but not as we knew it. Once a strategy of nuclear restraint, the term is now being stretched to justify aggressive military actions, at home and abroad. Konstantin Schendzielorz argues that, as meanings shift, so do red lines. The nuclear umbrella may be turning into a very real sword
Russia continues to rely on its sub-strategic nuclear arsenal, and NATO is therefore hoping in vain for sub-strategic nuclear arms control negotiations. For three decades, says Wannes Verstraete, the Alliance has merely been 'waiting for Godot'
The global nuclear order is more crowded than ever, with new actors, rules, and arenas constantly emerging. Carmen Wunderlich and Martin Senn argue, however, that this is less chaos than a continuous process of ordering and disordering. They show how nuclear politics are made, unmade, and remade in everyday practice
Next year’s UN study on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones offers non-nuclear states a rare chance to reshape the global disarmament agenda. Jorge Alberto López Lechuga says they must use this moment to strengthen, connect, and expand NWFZs — turning regional commitments into a coherent global force against nuclear proliferation
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