ABSTRACT
Governments in non-nuclear-weapon states had to set aside their complaints about lack of disarmament leadership from the nuclear-possessor states, and make a commitment to taking leadership themselves. Challenging the entrenched policies of the nuclear powers is risky business, and for some states and some activist groups the risks are higher than for others. When the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union reignited in the 1980s, by which time both countries had stockpiled more than 70,000 nuclear warheads between them, awareness of the dire consequences also reemerged. The International Committee of the Red Cross independently brought its expertise to bear on the negotiations, telling the conference that nuclear weapons are ‘unique in their destructive power, in the unspeakable human suffering they cause, and in the impossibility of controlling their effects in space and time. The nuclear-armed and nuclear-dependent states, so far, have asserted their opposition to the treaty, having refused even to participate in the negotiations.
