ABSTRACT
Zones serve a double purpose: to declare norms for the region itself, and to set in place a partial prohibition regime as one piece in a global prohibition quilt. Zonal treaties prohibit, or limit, the presence of nuclear weapons in designated geographic regions. The purpose of adopting a zonal, rather than global, limitation is that-global agreement being unachievable at the time-the zonal agreement can be reached and, it is believed, would enhance security for members of the zone. In practice the zonal treaties in force are regional prohibition treaties, drafted and joined by non-nuclear weapon states, subject to transit provisions that meet nuclear weapon states' demands. There have long been proposals for an Indian Ocean zone, and there are proposals for a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East that aim to pinpoint and call into question Israel's presumed nuclear force.
