Routledge The Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: How it was Achieved and Why it Matters (Routledge Global Security Studies)

This book chronicles the genesis of the negotiations that led to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which challenged the established nuclear order. The work provides readers with an authoritative account of the complex evolution of the ‘Humanitarian Initiative’ (HI) and the negotiation history of the TPNW. It includes a close analysis of internal strategy documents and communications in the author’s possession which trace the tactical and political decisions of a small group of state actors. By demonstrating the unacceptable humanitarian consequences and uncontrollable risks that these weapons pose to everyone’s security, the HI convinced many states to ban nuclear weapons and reject the policy of nuclear deterrence as unsustainable and illegitimate. As such, this book is a case-study of multilateral diplomacy and cooperation between state and civil society actors. It also contains a full discussion of both sides of the nuclear argument and assesses the extent to which the HI and the TPNW have moved the dial and present opportunities for transformational change. This book will be of much interest to students of nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, diplomacy, global governance, and International Relations in general. Review ‘This is an authoritative record of the negotiations and diplomacy behind the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty which aims to prohibit the deadliest weapons invented by humankind. Ambassador Alexander Kmentt was at the forefront of the efforts, started over ten years go, to raise awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of these weapons. He provides an insightful account of how a small group of countries, supported by civil society, overcame the opposition by major nuclear weapon states to the Ban Treaty and eventually triumphed in establishing what should become a jus cogens rule creating an erga omnes obligation for all States. With the danger of nuclear weapons higher today than any time since the Cuban missile crisis, this book is an essential read for the younger generation – the future leaders – as to how we can, equipped with moral conviction, reset the existing global status quo and work towards a safer and more humane world. The book is also a must read for policy makers and diplomats as we seek to sheath the nuclear sword of Damocles.’--Mohamed ElBaradei, Former Vice-President of Egypt, 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ‘The ultimate insider account of the development of the Humanitarian Initiative and the 2017 negotiations of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, meticulously researched and footnoted. Of particular value is the detailed discussion of the arguments for and against the Treaty. An indispensable guide for diplomatic practitioners and students alike.’--Angela Kane, former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs ‘For about a decade, Alexander Kmentt has gained a global reputation as a champion and exponent of the art of dialogue as diplomacy. In this excellent book, he invites the reader to join him on a personal journey of learning how best to deploy the realisation that the humanitarian consequences and risks associated with nuclear weapons, which are far more serious than previously assumed, compel the argument for a world without nuclear weapons. His chronical of this period in nuclear arms policy and the lesson of how best to deploy that learning merits attention and it should give policy-makers food for thought as they set about building back better in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The manifestation of one high-impact, low-probability risk, should compel them to do everything they can to avoid another manifestation, this time from the consequences of the use, whether by design or by accident, of nuclear weapons.’--Desmond Browne, Rt. Honorable Lord Browne of Ladyton, former Secretar