Janan Ganesh’s recent analysis, “How the World Learned to Love the Bomb,” offers a sobering look at our current nuclear reality. However, his assessment overlooks the robust, though admittedly strained, global treaties and Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs) that continue to provide a critical counterbalance to proliferation.

While the nuclear landscape is increasingly volatile, we should not ignore the following “disarmament infrastructure”:

The NPT’s Near-Universality: As of early 2026, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) maintains 191 state parties. Despite the absence of India, Israel, Pakistan, and South Sudan, and North Korea’s 2003 withdrawal, it remains the cornerstone of global stability.

A Denuclearized Southern Hemisphere: Regional exclusion zones—including the Treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok, Pelindaba, and Semipalatinsk—now ban the possession and testing of nuclear weapons across 56% of the Earth’s land area. These zones encompass 60% of UN member states, effectively “locking out” nuclear arms from vast portions of the globe.

Evolving Norms: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has gained momentum, with 74 states ratifying the ban as of late 2025. Furthermore, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) has established a near-universal norm against explosions, with 178 ratifications to date

While the reinstatement of the NewSTART agreement between the US and Russia is an urgent necessity, we must acknowledge that the world has not simply “learned to love” the bomb. Rather, a significant majority of the international community continues to build the legal and regional frameworks necessary to resist it.