This week sees the first conference of states parties to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW 1MSP). The president-designate of the TPNW conference Alexander Kmentt met with fellow ELN members to discuss the likely impact, and Jane Kinninmont, the ELN Impact Director, summarises the discussion.
The first Meeting of States Parties of the TPNW (1MSP) is taking place this week, and the NPT Review Conference (RevCon) in August. Marion Messmer argues that these international conferences can be a success if all states engage constructively.
With NATO leaders meeting in Madrid to agree on a new Strategic Concept, Adam Thomson and Graham Stacey argue that it must deliver modern deterrence fit for the next decade. They suggest four adjustments that would make NATO’s deterrence more effective at lower risk and lower cost.
As nuclear weapons make headlines once more, the images and narratives that pervade focus on fear and panic leading to paralysing doom and political stasis. For sustained engagement and real-world change, Elizabeth Talerman and Shazeeda Bhola from The Nucleus Group write that a fundamental shift is required in how the nuclear conversation is framed — invoking hope instead of fear and identifying solutions and shared ambitions.
The AUKUS deal has generated a broad debate over its possible non-proliferation implications, with much discourse focusing on Iran. Ludovica Castelli writes that we should not measure the impact of AUKUS simply by whether other would-be proliferators exploit the precedent it has set but by the bigger questions it raises about the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.
The recent P5 affirmation that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought” as well as the incorporation of strategic risk reduction into the nuclear doctrines and dialogues working group are impactful and are welcome first measures. The P5 must now build on this momentum to discuss a substantive programme of work which must will lead to the implementation of concrete risk reduction measures within the eleventh review cycle.