As of today, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted at the UN is valid international law. The international press never tires of saying that the treaty is merely symbolic.
It
is true that this ban does not apply to states that have not acceded
to the treaty. For example, all official and unofficial nuclear
powers did not participate in the negotiations on the treaty. It can
hardly be expected that they will accept the ban on nuclear weapons
at some point. In addition, there are countries that see themselves
deprived of their sacred sovereignty if they join the treaty. They
could, after all, at some point come up with the idea of arming
themselves with nuclear weapons or are already on the way to doing
so. And unfortunately, it is possible to withdraw from the treaty at
any time. That is why the question arises whether a World without Nuclear Weapons will be possible at all under these
circumstances.
But
this is nothing new. This is how existing international law works. If
you're not in favour of it, it doesn't apply to you. It is as simple
as that. What is missing is a World Law that is binding for all and a
democratically elected World Parliament that sets this
law.
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Peace Movement 1981 |
Most organisations and groups from the Peace Movement see the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a groundbreaking success. This view seems naïve because of the given reality. On the other hand, it is nevertheless a success, even if only a symbolic one. And the ban on nuclear weapons will have repercussions that will make the activities of the nuclear powers more difficult, provided that the states parties implement the ban conscientiously and consistently. What is certain is that a majority of UN member states have decided in favour of the abolition of nuclear weapons, thus manifesting an emancipation from the nuclear powers that should not be underestimated.
As Mondialists and World Federalists, we must
support all efforts to expand and enforce the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons within our means. It is also our task
to convince the actors that the current state of the world must be
changed if we want to secure the results of these efforts in the long
run. And this concerns not only nuclear armament, but other world
problems that by now should be well known to anyone who is not
daydreaming with blindfolded eyes and plugged ears or adhering to
irrational ideologies. The threat of nuclear weapons is real and
their abolition one of the most urgent Affairs of
Mankind.