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Researchers from the Center for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London have turned to the analysis of “non-political” solutions to the problem of nuclear disarmament.
The researchers’ new report notes that the consolidated multilateral nuclear order around the United Nations Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT, has been constantly beset by problems of international cooperation, reinforced by the asymmetry between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons. states of weapons.
The latter, referred to as NNWS, are signatories to the treaty, but to the extent that they are not nuclear, their contribution to fulfilling treaty obligations comes down to developing tools and processes that can help improve multilateral disarmament verification.
NNWS, however, often lacks the technical capacity to contribute significantly to such efforts, the researchers note. Such gaps seemingly exacerbate the perception, among both nuclear and non-nuclear states, that the NPT is undermined by the lack of a robust multilateral process of verifying nuclear disarmament. In addition to this, the report adds, it remains difficult to foster mutual trust that all parties to the NPT will honor their non-proliferation commitments in practice.
This is where blockchain technology comes in, from the perspective of the report’s authors. Extrapolating their initial observations, the report proposes that these “complex and interrelated challenges” can be addressed productively using a technical and operational approach:
“How can I [decisionmakers] advance multilateral verification of nuclear disarmament while ensuring that the highly sensitive data created in the process is handled securely and reliably? “
Taking a procedure-oriented and data-sensitive approach is in line with the report’s explicit priorities, building on the authors’ observation that many of the active non-proliferation efforts in recent years have taken “a technical and operational rather than a political approach”. Here, the authors refer to the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification and the Quad initiative of Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Having affirmed the importance of technical solutions, the researchers argue that blockchain could benefit verification processes by providing a virtually immutable encrypted record that can act as a “chain of custody” for “responsible treaty articles.”
Furthermore, blockchain could also address the issue of trust: While states may share a common interest in reducing nuclear risk, they often lack trust in each other, which prevents full cooperation. In this case, the use of technology could, apparently, mitigate this lack of trust by allowing “third parties to verify the integrity [disarmament] verification data “, without these parties being able to see the highly sensitive data itself.
The report also sees potential in smart contracts, noting that blockchain, coupled with self-imposed algorithmic contracts, can provide a secure foundation layer for the private Internet of Things infrastructure, which combines environmental sensors and monitors. This could apparently be used to conduct real-time verification on remote sites in order to automatically notify parties of any potential treaty violation. They conclude:
“Blockchain could act as a cryptographic repository for national declarations in disarmament processes, allowing parties to disclose sensitive data in a gradual manner, in parallel with political and strategic developments.”
Researchers admit that whether blockchain can actually help achieve non-proliferation goals completely depends on the high-level political goals of states and how those goals are pursued. The report therefore refrains from touting blockchain as an absolute cure for one of the most pressing geopolitical problems of the modern era.
