Sharing the Burden and Dodging the Blame: NATO as a Western Instrument of Nuclear Advocacy

Abstract

The West often indicate in discourse their desire to disarm. However, Western pro-nuclear disarmament rhetoric is often contested, since Western nuclear powers claim there are impeding factors to disarmament. These factors usually include the compromise of the security of their allies and generic ‘security reasons’. The argument is that concrete disarmament efforts are unfeasible and unrealistic because they do not consider the wide range of security concerns that nuclear weapons help mitigate. Oftentimes, the security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies is invoked to justify the need for nuclear weapons. In that sense, I argue that the West instrumentalizes the NATO to rationalize and legitimize their nuclear weapons possession. They do so by 1) deflecting criticism related to nuclear policy to the organization; 2) passing the buck regarding the blame of maintaining nuclear weapons; 3) coercing NATO allies to adopt pro-nuclear policies; and 4) creating threats to justify these policies. Nuclear weapons symbolize material and reputational power and nuclear disarmament represents a severe loss of power for these States. The West creates a narrative wherein nuclear weapons are a ‘necessary evil’ to guarantee their own security and their allies.

Notes

1 By negative aspect, I refer to the distinction between positive and negative peace, as discussed by Johan Galtung (1969). While the first addresses the structural and cultural underlying causes of conflict, the latter encompasses solely the absence of direct violence. For more, see Galtung 1969

2 Celso Lafer (2004) addressed this issue by coining the term “other West”, to encompass these States whose self-determination differ from the normatively constructed concept. For more, see Lafer.2004

3 The ‘quadripartite powers’ refers to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. See, e.g., Sayle, 2019.

4 The ‘Live Oak’ plans are a clear example of a US-led organization. See, e.g., Sayle 2019

5 See, for instance, Tannenwald 2007; Paul 2009

6 Australia, South Korea, and Japan, for instance, are non-NATO member States that are within the US nuclear umbrella.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Orion Noda

Orion Noda is Assistant Professor of International Relations – FECAP, São Paulo, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]