ABSTRACT
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has become a bitter bone of contention between the non-nuclear-weapon states supporting this treaty and most of the nuclear-armed states and US allies in defence arrangements underpinned by US nuclear weapons. Critics of the treaty have raised a number of concerns and highlighted apparent shortcomings related to definitions, effectiveness, verification, legal norms and other matters. This chapter responds to each of the major criticisms and concludes that the TPNW will establish a jus cogens rule creating an erga omnes not only for all Non-Proliferation Treaty states parties but for other nuclear-armed states as well.
