THE POLITICS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS DISARMAMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

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THE POLITICS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS DISARMAMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

 

ABSTRACT

On 7 July 2017, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The negotiations which took place leading to this historic agreement marked the first time in over twenty years that international negotiations on nuclear disarmament had taken place. Amongst several states that supported the adoption of such a treaty, a significant number of civil society organisations were also involved during the process, some of whom can be described as being part of ‘Internaltional organisation’. Of particular note, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons were the principal coordinator for civil society. Using the international relations approach of constructivism, this paper explores the role of Internaltional organisation in the period leading to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The ‘norm life cycle’ from International Norm Dynamics and Political Change by Martha Finnemore and Katherine Sikkink, provides a framework to answer this question. This is applied to two distinctive periods leading to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; the Humanitarian Initiative and the negotiations for the treaty itself. Following analysis of specific engagements undertaken by Internaltional organisation during these periods, this paper finds that Internaltional organisation played the role of ‘norm entrepreneurs’ for the emerging norm of a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons. This paper concludes by providing policy recommendations for future Internaltional organisation organisations to assist in the development of this emerging norm to become an international norm.

KEY WORDS: constructivism, Internaltional organisation, humanitarian initiative, international norm, nuclear disarmament.

 

 

CHAPTER 1

 INTRODUCTION

Background to study

This chapter will act as a means of generally introducing the dissertation topic and accordingly the research design that will be utilised to answer the research question. In order to do so, the first section will provide relevant background to the research question and illustrate how this was attained from the research problem. Accordingly, the objectives of this study and its relevance will be outlined. Following this, a literature review will explore the current academic literature on the relevant areas that will be focused on in this dissertation. More specifically, in relation to the evolution of civil society and the general role that they play. The theoretical framework will then outline the specific concepts that will be utilised in answering the research question. Namely, this will include that of constructivism and international norms, as well as Internaltional organisation. After doing so, the methodology of this dissertation will be established, as well as the ethics and limitations of the study. Finally, a brief explanation as to the structure that this research will take will be given.

 

Research problem

 

There has been a significant reduction in global stockpiles of nuclear weapons since the end of the Cold War. However, an estimated 14,930 are still possessed by nine states today (Federation of American Scientists, 2017). Collectively, these weapons hold enough force to destroy all life on earth, which illustrates the grave threat they continue to bring to humanity (Kütt & Steffek, 2015). Historically, nuclear weapons have been recognised as a means of international security and seen by states that possess these weapons as a deterrent (Kmentt, 2015). This has been the case despite the widespread acknowledgement of the physical destruction and scale of human suffering caused by nuclear weapons testing and detonations. It was not until the ‘Final Document’ that arose from the 2010 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Review Conference, that States party to this treaty formally acknowledged the grave humanitarian consequences associated with these weapons in an international multilateral document. The Document expressed ‘deep concern at the continued risk for humanity represented by the possibility that these weapons could be used and the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the use of nuclear weapons’ (Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 2010). This reference soon became acknowledged as the beginning of what is known as the ‘humanitarian initiative’; a re-shaping of the diplomatic discussion surrounding nuclear weapons from the parameters of security to the unacceptable consequences of nuclear weapons (Minor, 2015). This has ensued as the most serious challenge to the nuclear deterrence orthodoxy to date through disputing ‘the acceptability and legitimacy of nuclear weapons’ (Kmentt, 2015, p. 682).

 

The humanitarian initiative was made up of a series of conferences hosted by countries determined to bring increased awareness to the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. The pace at which the nuclear weapons debate was reframed by this initiative and the international and domestic political momentum it gained, was unprecedented. Within a short period of time, a reference in a Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons Review Conference outcome document turned into a series of conferences and Joint Statements ‘expressly supported by over three quarters of the international community’ (Kmentt, 2015, p. 704). An event which can be attributed to the momentum gained from the Humanitarian Initiative was the passing of United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 71/258. This was passed on 23 December 2016 and aimed to begin negotiations on ‘a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination’, in March 2017. Despite the fact that eliminating the nuclear threat has been at the top of the United Nation’s agenda since the organisation was founded in 1945, the negotiations that took place during the course of 2017 marked ‘the first time in over two decades that multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations have taken place’ (Wright, 2017). Consequently, on 7 July 2017, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by 122 states. This is the first legally binding international agreement that acts to prohibit nuclear weapons in a comprehensive manner, with the explicit goal of leading towards the total elimination of these weapons.

 

Undoubtedly, great public controversy has existed since the development of nuclear weapons and their use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet, these events occurred over seventy years ago. Fittingly, it is logical to wonder why after such a long period of time these weapons of mass destruction have now finally been recognised as illegal by the majority of the international community. Despite significant efforts by civil society in the area of nuclear disarmament, it is evident that in the years leading to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a new momentum was gained by civil society, on a global scale. As a result, these efforts saw greater involvement in the process of negotiating this treaty, an area which had historically been limited to decision-making by ‘government, military, and commercial officials’ (Rappert, Moyes, Crowe, & Nash, 2012). Such efforts were coordinated by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which eventually grew to operate in over 100 countries throughout the world (ICAN, n.d-a). From the outset, ICAN (amongst other organisations) coordinated a number of events and other means of sharing information in support of a ban treaty. However, it would be useful to understand what they did as a collective group and how their role can be described. Accordingly, this leads to the question of ‘what role did Internaltional organisation play in the process leading to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?’

 

Objectives of the study

  1. To explore the historical and international legal context of nuclear weapons and the disarmament movement;
  2. To examine the engagement of Internaltional organisation during the ‘humanitarian initiative’ and accordingly understand a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons as an emerging international norm through the use of constructivism;
  3. To illustrate how Internaltional organisation were involved in the negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and understand whether

the adoption of this treaty can be seen as the ‘tipping point’ as discussed in the ‘norm life cycle’ framework;

  1. To provide recommendations on what role Internaltional organisation can play in advancing the international norm on a comprehensive prohibition of nuclear weapons from the current phase it is in.

 

Significance of the study

 

Due to the contemporary nature of this treaty, this dissertation will be a beneficial piece of research for a number of different interested parties. Firstly, it will contribute to the academic conversation and literature surrounding concepts explored in the dissertation such as ‘Internaltional organisation’, as well as the increasingly popular international relations approach of constructivism. More specifically, this dissertation will provide a contemporary application of the norm life cycle framework, developed by Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink in International Norm Dynamics and Political Change. Furthermore, as new technology continues to emerge, it simultaneously introduces new security threats to the world we live in. This dissertation will provide an overview of a model of action by Internaltional organisation that has been successful in establishing a ban on a type of weapon. Accordingly, it may be useful to future movements to ban particular weapons such as the recently initiated Campaign to Ban Killer Robots. Finally, this research will be of use to policymakers, both on a regional and international scale, in developing policy surrounding matters such as the degree of involvement civil society has in law making and the extent to which their expertise is recognised in political processes.

 

Methodology

 

This dissertation will use a qualitative method of research, predominantly through examination of primary and secondary sources. The theory that is identified and utilised will be sought through analysis of secondary sources. Namely, scholarly books and journals. These secondary sources will provide ideas surrounding the main concepts that will be utilised within the dissertation such as ‘Internaltional organisation’, ‘international norms’ and ‘constructivism’. Secondary sources will further be utilised in order to examine what previous scholars have discussed in commentary relating to Internaltional organisation’s role in relation to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or other international treaties of a similar nature.

 

This dissertation will also use primary sources as a means of attaining appropriate material for discussion. The treaty itself, ‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons’, will be examined – especially in chapter three and chapter four of this dissertation. As well as this, other primary sources that led to the creation of this treaty will be examined, such as various UN General Assembly Resolutions. Further, direct statements from civil society organisations themselves will be analysed – such as interviews and statements by members of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

 

Throughout the course of this year I will be completing an internship with Angela Woodward in the Office of the Executive Director at the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC). This is an organisation that works to support the development, implementation and effectiveness of international agreements and related regional and national initiatives, particularly in the area of weapons of mass destruction[1] . Thus, I will be exposed to people who are directly involved in the area of nuclear disarmament. I intend to partake in informal discussions surrounding my dissertation topic with these people.

 

For the large majority of this dissertation (especially chapter 3 and 4) material will be primarily examined from between 7 September 2006, the date in which ICAN was initiated, and 7 July 2017, the date in which the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted. However, this will not be the case for the material which provides general background to this dissertation topic, especially in chapter one and two.

 

1.6       Ethics and limitations

 

A limitation of this research will be the fact that it is surrounding a treaty that has only very recently been adopted (July 7, 2017). Thus, the sources, particularly secondary sources, available surrounding the process leading to the treaty and the treaty itself may be to some degree limited. Furthermore, due to the recency of the adoption of the Treaty, new developments will continue to arise throughout the course of my research. However, I will mitigate this through primarily looking at what occurred in relation to the treaty up until its adoption. Finally, the duration of the Masters of International Relations and Diplomacy is twelve months, thus the research that I am able to undertake will be limited by this timeframe.

 

 

 

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