The Nuclear Non-Use Norm: An 80-Year Legacy Under Strain
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (Nuclear Treaties - Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW); International Court of Justice - ICJ), World History (Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: India and its neighborhood- relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of policies of developed countries on India’s interests. (India's nuclear doctrine is a key topic).
GS Paper 3: Indigenization of technology and developing new technology; Awareness in the fields of Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights (Nuclear technology).
Key Highlights from the News
Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare for the past 80 years. This practice is known as the "norm of non-use" of nuclear weapons.
However, this norm is currently under great pressure due to recent conflicts involving nuclear powers, disregard for international laws, and the modernization of nuclear weapons.
The Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings) played a significant role in informing the world about the horrors of nuclear weapons.
This norm persists based on the principle of nuclear deterrence and because nuclear weapons are viewed differently from other weapons.
Although treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) regulate the proliferation and testing of nuclear weapons, they do not legally prohibit their use completely.
No nuclear powers have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Russia's nuclear threats in the Ukraine issue and the nuclear dimension in India-Pakistan conflicts weaken this norm.
The development of small, tactical nuclear weapons that can be used on the battlefield increases the likelihood of nuclear weapon use.
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