US President Barack Obama’s vision of a world free of nuclear weapons may seem idealistic, but it is a hope worth nurturing and working to see a reality, even if it does not happen in our lifetime.

Nuclear disarmament is not a new concept. Others, including American presidents, have entertained it. And while the prospect of a more secure world nuclear weapons seems to provide is attractive, the destruction inherent in these weapons, which humanity very well knows, should be enough deterrent.

Pioneering ideas always start as dreams or implausible goals, but they do eventually come true.

Obama’s mere mention of the quest for a nuclear-weapon free world, even as a long-term objective, is creditable. And it should give a good example to all those who still seek the empowerment that comes with the acquisition of nuclear power.

In order to be able to halt nuclear proliferation, however, an international nuclear regime that can come to the rescue of nations threatened by nuclear powers should be set in place. This way, it could be easier to convince countries to forego the development or acquisition of nuclear bombs for their security.

The UN Security Council has the mandate to create such an international mechanism, which could act under its auspices in the defence of states that choose to stay nuclear free.

But even this step may not be sufficient. It makes little sense to aspire at a world free of nuclear arsenal if other weapons of mass destruction are left to proliferate and become indiscriminate killing machines.

The vision must thus expand to include all such weapons. After all, it makes little difference if people are killed by a nuclear device or by a chemical or biological bomb.

Countries must be given incentives to forego all destructive weapons, including sharing nuclear know-how for peaceful purposes.

Nations that remain defiant must be ostracised and subjected to sanctions.

The vision of a safe world can go beyond being just a dream and become a workable objective that the entire international community can endorse and support to attain true global security and stability.