The Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy strategy of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was primarily a discursive one. We aimed to change the way that people talk, think and feel about nuclear weapons, changing... more
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy strategy of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was primarily a discursive one. We aimed to change the way that people talk, think and feel about nuclear weapons, changing their social meaning from symbols of status to outdated, dangerous machines that have repulsive effects. Representatives of the nuclear-states often marginalize those calling disarmament by dismissing them as deluded. In her protest outside the room where states were negotiating the TPNW, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley chided them, saying “we have to be realistic.” However, ICAN campaigners called attention to the discrepancies between these claims to “realism” and the mystification that surrounded these nuclear weapons. To change how nuclear weapons were discussed, we brought nuclear weapons into new arenas where humanitarianism, human rights and environmentalism are regular conversations, and to inject these discourses into traditional nuclear forums. We demanded from states the meaningful participation of survivors, affected communities, medical professionals, faith leaders, humanitarian agencies, activists and academics in the nuclear conversation. We pointed out when forums and panels excluded women, people from the Global South and those who have experienced nuclear weapons’ effects.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, International Relations, International Law, Global Civil Society, Nuclear Weapons, and 12 moreNonproliferation Treaties, International Human Rights Law, United Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Diplomacy, International Humanitarian Law, Transnational Advocacy Networks, Advocacy and Activism, Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control and Disarmament, Nobel Peace Prize, and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on 22 January 2021. What can be expected in the years following (TPNW)? In the first few years, we can expect that states parties will start to implement the treaty’s... more
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on 22 January 2021. What can be expected in the years following (TPNW)? In the first few years, we can expect that states parties will start to implement the treaty’s positive obligations, and that entities within states outside the treaty will begin to adhere to the new norm set by the treaty. Within the next decade, we can anticipate additional engagement with the treaty from outside states, including weapons possessors, and changes in their weapon policies to more closely adhere to the treaty. Over time, states outside the treaty are expected to sign and ratify the TPNW as the norm grows and the treaty approaches universalisation.