Explain LTBT and NPT.

LTBT - LTBT or the Limited Test Ban Treaty was one of the outcomes of the ‘arms control’ endeavour during the Cold War. It was signed by the USA, the UK and the erstwhile USSR in Moscow on August 5, 1963. It came in to full effect on October 10, 1963.

It bans the signatory countries from performing nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and the ocean. Underground testing is not banned but it is limited through prohibition of explosions in the environment outside the territory of the responsible state. There had been proposals for making this into a comprehensive test ban by extending it to include all environments in 1988, but this was opposed by the USA.

NPT – NPT or the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a multilateral treaty whose main objective is to create a binding commitment towards disarmament by nuclear-weapon states. For the purpose of NPT, the nations that had manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear devices prior to 1^st January, 1960 are considered to be nuclear-weapon states. This includes – US, USSR, Britain, France and China. The treaty allows these nations to have nuclear weapons and technology while stopping others from acquiring them. It was signed in Washington, London, and Moscow on July 1, 1960 and entered into force on March 5, 1970.

This treaty aims towards promotion of cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear technology. It is one of the most ratified treaties than any other based on arms disarmament. But India has refused to sign the NPT on the grounds that it is biased towards the nuclear-weapon states.