United Nations

"Because it is not operating under a [U.N. Security Council] resolution mandate, it will lack credibility in the eyes of many states. Unfortunately, it's more likely that it will be those states that are most at risk for being exposed to North Korea's sanctions evasion and proliferation-related activities," said Arnold, currently a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

Lukasz Kulesa, Director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the Royal United Services Institute, said some discussions about nuclear weapons were "informed by the anxiety regarding the US election", because of fears that Trump could loosen some of the security guarantees that the US has provided in Europe and Asia if he is elected President again. But he said the "core" of the non-proliferation treaty remained "quite solid".