Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the history of the Humanitarian Initiative and the process leading to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It serves as a guide to all those interested in diplomatic tradecraft, as they reveal how a policy objective was successfully pursued against the determined opposition of the most powerful military States in the world. The book then analyse the various challenges to the established nuclear order that are the result of some developments. It also focuses on the contest of arguments between the proponents and opponents of the TPNW and examines why the human security approach was successful in generating momentum for the TPNW and how the opponents of the TPNW tried to derail this process. The book considers the possible longer-term impacts on the nuclear weapons regime and the overall prospects for multilateralism in this field.