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1/ Tomorrow (1/22/21), the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters into force. It bans all nuclear weapons-related activity to include threatening nuclear use. Need some background on this new treaty?
2/ To learn how this treaty came about, see: "The humanitarian turn in nuclear disarmament and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" @TheNonproReview https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10736700.2018.1486960
3/ Read the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons text here:
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tpnw-info-kit-v2.pdf
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tpnw-info-kit-v2.pdf
4/ This treaty threatens nuclear-armed states by stigmatizing the possession of nuclear weapons. On the relevant competing norms, see: https://thebulletin.org/2020/10/the-nuclear-ban-treaty-and-competing-nuclear-norms/
5/ The P5 have been unified in their opposition to the treaty. See this 2018 joint statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/p5-joint-statement-on-the-treaty-on-the-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons
6/ Before the TPNW received its 50th ratification in October 2020, triggering entry into force, the USG sent letters to treaty members stating "we believe that you have made a strategic error and should withdraw your instrument of ratification or accession."
7/ Reporting on the USG's letter: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-urges-countries-to-withdraw-from-u-n-treaty-that-would-ban-nuclear-weapons
8/ On what this treaty means to US allies, see Heather Williams' "What the Nuclear Ban Treaty Means for America’s Allies" @WarOnTheRocks @heatherwilly https://warontherocks.com/2020/11/what-the-nuclear-ban-treaty-means-for-americas-allies/
9/ To read NATO's December 2020 response to the new treaty, see: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_180087.htm
10/ On the Japanese public's support for the treaty, see @HerzogSM & @JonathonBaron https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25751654.2020.1834961
11/ Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Hibakusha, have been strong advocates of the TPNW:
https://www.un.org/disarmament/update/the-handover-of-the-appeal-of-the-hibakusha-more-than-105-million-signatures-supporting-call-for-the-elimination-of-nuclear-weapons/
https://www.un.org/disarmament/update/the-handover-of-the-appeal-of-the-hibakusha-more-than-105-million-signatures-supporting-call-for-the-elimination-of-nuclear-weapons/
12/ Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow has long worked for nuclear abolition. She accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize with ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn. @BeaFihn https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/nuclear-disarmament-coalition-wins-2017-nobel-peace-prize
13/ On where we are on nuclear disarmament generally, see @MonkeyCage with @HerzogSM: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/06/75-years-after-hiroshima-bombing-here-are-4-things-know-about-nuclear-disarmament-efforts/
14/ In addition to banning nuclear weapons, the treaty's Article 6 calls for members to assist victims of nuclear use and testing. See the following thread on these victims: https://twitter.com/RDavisGibbons/status/1283503952894595072
15/ While the USG rejects the treaty, here's hoping for a return to nuclear arms control progress and more constructive discussions about the "absolute weapon" during the Biden administration. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-state-arms/biden-will-seek-to-extend-new-start-treaty-must-decide-how-long-idUSKBN29O2QC?il=0
