Why has it not yet been possible to bring the nuclear weapons regime to an end and why are prospects about a nuclear weapon free future so bleak? In this thesis, I analyze both the achievements and failures concerning the global governance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. In the first chapter, I outline key terms and concepts as well as the historical backgrounds, which are essential for understanding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the global governance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. In the second chapter, I examine the efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament of four global key actors within the United Nations family: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the International Court of Justice. In the third chapter, I will apply theoretical approaches which serve to explain both, the armament and proliferation of nuclear weapons and the achievements and failures of the global governance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. These include Game Theory, the Sagan-Waltz Controversy, and the Global Governance Problématique according to Weiss and Thakur. After the analysis, I summarize the main results of the thesis and give the conclusions that derive from these.