Like it or not, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force today. It is the first treaty that comprehensively prohibits nuclear weapons. Critics of the ban treaty say that the TPNW “would neither make nuclear weapons illegal nor lead to the elimination of even a single nuclear weapon”, and they are right because the nuclear weapons ban campaign had a different goal. It is a norm change campaign that makes a crucial step towards the abandonment of the old norm of nuclear deterrence and the practice it supports.

PIR Center experts Vladimir Orlov and Sergey Semenov discuss the prospects for the Russian-American dialogue on arms control.

Although Switzerland voted in favor of the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), it did not join the TPNW. Joining the TPNW in the current international context could entail risks in terms of both the Swiss nonproliferation diplomacy and Switzerland's security policy interests. In April 2019, the Swiss government announced that by the end of 2020, it would review the situation around the TPNW. However, by December 27, 2020, no revision was made, which might mean that the Swiss government did not change its mind and does not want to join the Treaty. However, pressure from both houses of the Swiss parliament and NGOs and entry into force of the TPNW may influence the Swiss government's position on the issue.

France has established itself as a leading country in the field of nuclear energy production. It is today the world’s second-largest nuclear power producer and has taken several initiatives that aim to consolidate this leadership long into the future, specifically in Europe. However, a changing context that leads some European countries to move away from nuclear energy production, as well as other challenges, raise a number of uncertainties. How do these challenges and uncertainties influence France’s desire to continue bringing forward its leadership in nuclear energy production?

France has taken essential steps towards the process of disarmament and is resolutely committed to endorse its special role as a nuclear-weapon state. However, some experts have highlighted a level of ambiguity in the French rhetoric, for instance, in the light of the INF Treaty. In fact, by working on different fronts, France has been trying to find the right balance between deterrence and non-proliferation as well as between national interests and international commitments. As a result of the changing strategic context and the growing threats, has France been able to consolidate its political discourse? This blog gives an overview of the French stance on the NPT, TPNW, and the INF Treaty to evaluate the ongoing trends in the field of non-proliferation.