Reforming the ‘London Club’: How Transparency and Outreach Can Benefit the Nuclear Suppliers Group

Research Associate Louis Reitmann explores ways for the Nuclear Suppliers Group to address challenges in universalising and fully implementing nuclear export controls by improving its transparency and outreach in the June 2023 issue of WorldECR, the leading journal on export controls and sanctions.

Reitmann analyses the hurdles that NSG Participating Governments face in expanding adherence to the NSG Guidelines, a set of rules aiming to ensure the peaceful nature of global nuclear trade. He also discusses how certain states are undermining the legitimacy of multilateral export controls and exploiting the NSG’s negative image with countries in the Global South, some of which believe the Group restricts access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy for developing countries.

“With the NSG and other multilateral export control regimes at a turning point, activating momentum towards universal adherence to the Guidelines and countering harmful, false narratives about the NSG is more important than ever.”

Reitmann concludes that NSG Participating Governments should look towards enhancing the Group’s transparency and expanding its outreach to third countries for addressing these challenges. This would help the NSG to promote voluntary adherence to the NSG Guidelines and protect a greater share of global nuclear transfers from proliferation efforts. More open, communicative, and constructive relations with non-Participating Governments would also help the Group to counter false narratives about discrimination against developing countries.

Finally, Reitmann presents six concrete steps that the NSG can take to improve its transparency and outreach, explaining the specific benefits each measure offers.

“Some will argue that the frosty climate between the West and Russia, which prevented the adoption of a statement at the 2022 NSG Plenary, should mean that any venture beyond maintaining the regime as is must be postponed until relations improve. In fact, the opposite is true.”

An open-access version of the WorldECR article was published by the European Leadership Network, available below.