Intensified competition and distrust among the great powers—manifested in regional wars and a stalled arms control environment—have increased the possibility of renewed nuclear testing. There are indications that China, Russia, or the US might resume yield-producing tests of nuclear weapons—or have already done so—despite the collective self-imposed moratorium on such tests.
The last Russian–U.S. nuclear arms control treaty, New START, has expired. For the first time in decades, there are no legally binding ceilings on the great powers’ nuclear arsenals. This development marks a collapse of the nuclear arms control architecture. Moreover, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists recently moved the Doomsday Clock’s dials closer to midnight.
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