The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

its intransigence to date, it should abandon the enrich- ment and reprocessing capabilities which have been taint- ed by its own behavior. Such abandonment, I should re- emphasize, need come at no cost to the peaceful use of nuclear power. Tehran’s negotiating partners do not insist that it dismantle the Bushehr reactor and forsake devel- opment of a peaceful nuclear energy program. Indeed, Iran’s surest and most effective route toward civilian nuclear power generation is through acceptance of the generous terms it has been offered and a course change with respect to its fuel-cycle activities. It is upon the future of these intertwined dynamics of adherence to nonproliferation obligations and the peace- ful use of nuclear technology that the fate of the NPT itself rests. The safety and security of all nations depends upon rigorous nonproliferation compliance, state-of-the- art safeguards and proliferation-resistant technologies. These measures create the assurances of safety needed for nuclear benefit-sharing and a viable international mar- ket in civilian nuclear goods and services. After all, it is clear that technology possessors cannot and should not share their knowledge and experience with non-possessors if doing so would not be safe, or would be inconsistent with their nonproliferation obligations. Article IV of the NPT calls for the “fullest possible” exchange — but such steps must not violate the treaty nor contribute to nuclear pro- liferation. Such compliance is the foundation upon which benefit-sharing necessarily rests. This is a time of great stress upon the nuclear nonpro- liferation regime, and there is no shortage of voices sug- gesting that it is doomed. That need not be the case, how- ever. By taking a multifaceted approach to advancing nonproliferation goals — one that complements and rein- forces treaty regimes with a variety of less traditional for- mal and informal methods — we believe we have con- tributed significantly to the international community’s success in helping prevent further nuclear weapons pro- liferation. There is obviously much left to do, but such approaches provide a way to help address the challenges that remain. F O C U S J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29