ABSTRACT
The current non-proliferation regime, as embodied in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been relatively successful despite growing criticism that it has not fulfilled some important mandates. This chapter focuses on the emergence of new suppliers, their impact on the current non-proliferation regime and, more narrowly, the strategic implications this may occasion. These emergent suppliers, most of which are from the Third World, in turn become exporters. The inability to regulate the new pattern of nuclear trade, either because of technical problems or because such transfers are beyond the reach of the IAEA, could result in some erosion of confidence in the current non-proliferation regime. Despite remaining outside the NPT framework, the emergent suppliers from the Third World appear to have been cautious in exporting their nuclear technology.
