Global Denuclearization: Why it is not the Current Solution to Global Peace

By Chris Battiloro

Nuclear weapons are a prolific topic in current global discussions. A topic that is becoming increasingly relevant as political tensions increase throughout the world. Currently, there are nine countries known to possess nuclear weapons: China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. While many politicians focus on advocating to eliminate nuclear proliferation, there are silent benefits to permitting countries to possess nuclear weapons.

On October 6, 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in drafting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This new treaty calls for prohibitions on testing, possessing, using, and the transferring or stationing of nuclear weapons. These requirements overlap with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 (NPT) which aimed to end nuclear proliferation, stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and set the goal for complete disarment. The only countries who possess nuclear weapons and are not part of the NPT are Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Israel, and Pakistan. Moreover, all countries who currently possess nuclear weapons did not participate in the TPNW’s negotiations, nor will they likely ratify it. The TPNW is designed to complement the NPT and will not supplant the obligations of NPT parties who do not adopt the TPNW.

The United Nations adopted the TPNW in July 2017 calling it, “an important step towards the universally-held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.” Such a goal is becoming increasingly more important as North Korea continues to carry out nuclear tests and threaten to insight war. However, nuclear weapons serve as a defense to the same threat they serve. Nuclear weapons are a deterrence to not only nuclear war but conventional war. Not since 1945 have two great powers come into direct conflict, a fact that has derived from the development of nuclear weapons. Countries with nuclear weapons have checked their eagerness to engage in conflict because of the threat nuclear weapons impose. Thus, one of the biggest benefits nuclear weapons offer is not the offensive threat, but a defensive mechanism to stave off attackers. This is known as the “porcupine” theory, and is the same logic behind North Korea’s fervent desire for nuclear weapons.

In addition to a lack of support from armed countries, the TPNW fails to define a mechanism to remove these weapons and instead relies upon an honor system. Such a system offers little to no insurance of denuclearization as these weapons are easy to conceal. This system would illicit more distrust and dishonesty among the nuclear countries, and only instigate greater conflict. A joint statement issued by the United States, Britain, and France stated that “a purported ban on nuclear weapons that does not address the security concerns that continue to make nuclear deterrence necessary cannot result in the elimination of a single nuclear weapon and will not enhance any country’s security, nor international peace and security.” As dangerous as nuclear weapons are, their presence in global society reduces conflict and prevents large scale war from breaking out.

References

Peter D. Zimmerman, This new U.N. treaty seeks to ban nuclear weapons. But we’d regret it if we did., The Washington Post (Sept. 14, 2017), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/09/14/the-u-n-s-new-treaty-banning-nuclear-weapons-sounds-like-a-good-idea-its-not/?utm_term=.9ba5ccb0400d (last visited Nov. 13, 2017).

Treasa Dunworth, The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, American Society of International Law (Oct. 31, 2017), available at https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/21/issue/12/treaty-prohibition-nuclear-weapons#_edn3 (last visited Nov. 13, 2017).

Rick Gladstone, A Treaty Is Reached to Ban Nuclear Arms. Now Comes the Hard Part., The New York Times (July 7, 2017), available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/world/americas/united-nations-nuclear-weapons-prohibition-destruction-global-treaty.html