Madeleine K. Albright

Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which took effect in 1970, 181 non-nuclear countries have agreed not to develop nuclear capabilities, while the five declared nuclear powers—the U.S., Britain, France, China, and Russia—have pledged to work toward nuclear disarmament. Madeleine K. Albright, the current Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, argues in the following viewpoint that the NPT has curbed the spread of nuclear weapons by making nuclear proliferation punishable by international law.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Albright’s view, what arms control accomplishments have been made possible by the NPT"

2. How will the indefinite extension of the NPT prevent nuclear proliferation, according to Albright"

3. How is the NPT enforced, in the author’s words? After a long...