ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 lays out the study's theoretical underpinnings and central concepts. The first part of the chapter discusses the phenomenon of institutional adaptation and introduces the punctuated equilibrium model of change. The second part of the chapter covers recognition theory and the notion of states as ‘recognition seekers’. The third part applies the concepts introduced in the second part to the negotiation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), maintaining that the NPT codified a ‘recognition order’ that assigned rights, duties, and roles within the emerging nuclear order. The fourth and final part of the chapter conceptually fleshes out the cycle of institutional stasis and change discussed in the introduction, linking it to crises of legitimacy in the global nuclear order. The nuclear ‘regime complex’ legitimacy, in this view, links back to its ability to foster inclusive disarmament and, by extension, attenuate the material and social imbalances codified by the NPT.
