Rule & Resistance in the Nuclear Order: The Subversive Struggle for a Nuclear Weapons Ban

Abstract

The structures of rule in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have been challenged by the Humanitarian Initiative and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPN). How could this rebellion of comparatively small players against the militarily most powerful states in the world succeed? The answer lies in the formation of an alliance of non-nuclear weapon states and civil society using subversive techniques to counter the discursive and procedural dominance of nuclear weapon states. This resistance was also partially motivated by anti-colonialism. With his analysis, Sascha Hach reveals patterns of exercising power in international relations, the functioning of the nuclear order, and creative methods of success in resistance.