Treaties & arms control
CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty)
A 1996 treaty banning all nuclear explosions in all environments, for both military and civilian purposes.
The CTBT has not entered into force because eight key states (including the US, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, Israel, Egypt) have not ratified it. Despite this, all states except North Korea have observed a de-facto testing moratorium since the late 1990s. The CTBTO operates a global monitoring network.
Related terms
NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)
The 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which restricts nuclear-weapon possession to five recognized states and obligates them to pursue disarmament.
TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons)
A 2017 UN treaty that prohibits all activities related to nuclear weapons — development, possession, testing, threats of use — for state parties.