In advance of the 2018 NPT Preparatory Committee meeting, PAX is pleased to offer this new publication Banned but Allied: Next steps for NATO Alliance members after the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This food for thought piece is designed to spark debate and discussion about practical steps the majority of NATO members should consider towards reducing tension, building confidence and moving concretely down the path towards a nuclear weapons free world.
Recent developments demonstrate the necessity for states to make a decision- either prepare for the eventual use of nuclear weapons (the likely result of new nuclear arms developments and actual threats to unleash fire and fury) – or States can choose to facilitate the end of nuclear weapons by supporting the early entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
NATO members should be preparing to stop hosting foreign nuclear weapons, shifting political statements to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons (and nuclear tensions), resist the development and deployment of new nuclear weapons or weapons with new nuclear capabilities and re-interpret national burden sharing commitments in light of long term needs of the alliance.
Historically several NATO members have shown leadership in also outlawing the financing of the production of prohibited weapons through national legislation, and this is also a step that would support the goal of a nuclear weapons free world.
Download the full publication here.