When it comes to the Goals of the UN, nuclear disarmament doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Without nuclear disarmament, the larger list of UN Goals has little chance of success. Why? Because nuclear arms are proof that we live in an us-vs-them world and in that world of distrust, the nations are not willing to cooperate as needed. COP 27 is just one more example.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a key part of the larger Order Out of Chaos Strategy.
_______________________________________________
The mission of the Voices of Humanity - Order Our of Chaos initiative is to build an online community forum that will heal the world, bringing order out of chaos. We are particularly aiming to bring in individuals and organizations who support the goals of the United Nations and/or who identify with such marginalized groups as: women, indigenous peoples, other disadvantaged minorities, refugees, veterans, the poor.
See https://voh.intermix.org, where you can also find the text for this podcast.
By giving each nation and religion its own collective voice in a global conversation capped by the Voice of Humanity-as-One, Voices of Humanity both transcends and supports our nations and religions.
Please be aware that the online Voices of Humanity Forum is still in test mode. The app will not be available until Spring of 2023. You are more than welcome to join the online conversation in desktop mode. Your participation will help us test the forum.
Nuclear Disarmament and the TPNW
Welcome to the third Order Out of Chaos podcast. The mission of the Voices of Humanity - Order Out of Chaos initiative is to build an online community that will heal the world. Today’s podcast focuses on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The TPNW is a key part of the larger Order Out of Chaos Strategy, but we will get to that in the next podcast. My name is Roger Eaton.
When it comes to the Goals of the UN, nuclear disarmament doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Without nuclear disarmament, the larger list of UN Goals has little chance of success. Why? Because nuclear arms are proof that we live in an us-vs-them world and in that world of distrust, the nations are not willing to cooperate as needed. COP 27 is just one more example.
In January of 2021, the UN General Assembly adopted the awesome TPNW by a vote of 122 to 1. Sixty-nine nations refused to vote, including all of the nuclear armed nations and almost all of the so-called “nuclear umbrella” nations that depend on the US and NATO for defense in case of attack.
Why did the sixty-nine nuclear arms dependent nations refuse to vote rather than voting against the TPNW or officially abstaining? It appears they were sending a message, saying the TPNW is not worthy of consideration, but the actual message their strange refusal sends is that the nuclear arms nations are worried the Treaty might catch on! Their pretend lack of concern is a positive for the TPNW going forward.
The TPNW prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. The prohibition applies only to nations that have ratified the treaty – 68 of them so far.
A detail to be aware of: 91 nations have signed the Treaty, though only 68 have ratified it. Signing the Treaty does not legally obligate a nation. The US and other nuclear armed nations could sign the TPNW without disarming. Some actual steps would be expected, though. For the US that could mean adopting a no first use policy.
The nine nations that have nuclear weapons (USA, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea) have a total population of about 3.75 billion, not quite half of the world’s 8 billion. (On a side note, Palestine is a full member of the TPNW.) The 68 TPNW nations together have a population of about 2 billion. The 23 signatory nations who have not ratified have a total population of a little over 1 billion.
Optimism and resolve. At a June 2022 UN sponsored Vienna meeting of the nations that have ratified the TPNW, a strong four page statement was agreed under the heading “Our Commitment to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”. The TPNW states are aware of the difficulties they face, but they are determined to pursue their goal, or better yet, our goal! Here is the final paragraph of the June statement:
“We have no illusions about the challenges and obstacles that lie before us in realizing the aims of this Treaty. But we move ahead with optimism and resolve. In the face of the catastrophic risks posed by nuclear weapons and in the interest of the very survival of humanity, we cannot do otherwise. We will take every path that is open to us, and work persistently to open those that are still closed. We will not rest until the last state has joined the Treaty, the last warhead has been dismantled and destroyed and nuclear weapons have been totally eliminated from the Earth.”
When it comes to nuclear weapons, fear plays a huge role. The horrendous damage that a nuclear war will do is imprinted on our subconscious. The blinding flash followed by a mushroom cloud and a rolling tumult that will knock your home or apartment building to pieces – that is the conscious view, so no wonder we turn away from it. One of the difficulties of putting together a nuclear disarmament movement is that the very thought of nuclear war activates the fight-or-flight response and turns off higher levels of consideration. Give up our nukes? No way! Just consider what Putin’s threats have done. Nuclear arms feed on themselves.
The Vienna Statement calls for implementation of Article VI of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Here is Article VI of the NPT:
“Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”
The US, UK, France, Russia and China are full parties to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, so they are derelict when it comes to Article VI. On the legal side it is complicated, but from a common sense point of view, the five nuclear weapons nations that are parties to the NPT are not pursuing negotiations for nuclear disarmament or for general and complete disarmament. The Vienna Statement calls for the NPT States to do a lot more:
“We are pleased to have advanced the implementation of the NPT’s Article VI by bringing into force a comprehensive legal prohibition of nuclear weapons, as a necessary and effective measure related to the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament. We urge all NPT States Parties to reinvigorate their efforts to fully implement the obligation of Article VI and the actions and commitments agreed at NPT review conferences.”
The next podcast will expand on what we have covered today to develop a four part strategy using the goals of the UN to bring the world together.