Nuclear Weapons and Adversarial Politics: Bursting the Abolitionist “Consensus”

Abstract

How will the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) shape the broader pursuit of nuclear abolition? TPNW critics have argued that the new agreement is likely to fuel divisions between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon sates, undermining consensus and hampering existing efforts at reducing and eliminating nuclear arms. In this commentary, I argue that one of the TPNW’s key strengths and contributions is precisely that it pierces the feigned abolitionist consensus, creating room for adversarial politics and the advancement of an alternative view of nuclear order and security.