The year 2025 was another chaotic year that saw many developments on the nuclear non-proliferation landscape. From the dangers of accelerating nuclear arms races to the reversal of existing arms control, to talk about renewing nuclear testing, the year 2025 brought further degeneration of non-proliferation. The New START, the last bilateral arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia, is set to expire in February 2026. The Doomsday Clock maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has been moved from 89 to 85 seconds before midnight in January 2026, representing the heightened dangers of global catastrophe. The Dooms Day clock raised alarm over the weakening and collapse of arms control frameworks, while nuclear-armed states have increasingly relied on threats, modernisation, and military escalation.[1] There were at least three regional conflicts involving nuclear powers that threatened to escalate. Taking stock of 2025 would provide a guide to what is to come in 2026.
