Its key objective is “to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology...and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.” In the last five-year review conference at the United Nations in 2005, only Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea were not participating – the first three have nuclear arsenals that are advanced, and the fourth’s is embryonic.
在原来的五个核大国和180多个国家之间的关键性遏制机制就是1970年代的《核不扩散条约》（NPT）。其主要目的是“防止核武器及其技术的传播……并推动实现解除核军备的目标。”在2005年联合国召开的上一次“五年评估大会”上，只有以色列、印度、巴基斯坦和北朝鲜没有出席—前三个国家拥有先进的核武库，而第四个则正在成形中。