Nuclear weapons are now banned. Let's stick to it.

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Mushroom cloud over the Mururoa Atoll after the French atomic bomb test, November 30, 1970

Photo: - / dpa

Moritz Kütt

Moritz Kütt (Germany) is a research fellow at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg.

He is involved in the organization "Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affair".

Today, January 22, 2021, the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty comes into force.

The new international agreement prohibits its member states from developing, manufacturing, possessing and testing nuclear weapons.

Their use and the mere threat of use is also prohibited.

The treaty aims to remedy a permanent global threat: any use of nuclear weapons, even by a few, would have catastrophic humanitarian and ecological consequences.

To date, 51 states have acceded to the agreement and 35 more have signed it.

The accession of additional states is to be expected.

Jan Hoekema

Jan Hoekema (Netherlands) is the chairman of Pugwash Netherlands and a former ambassador, mayor and MP.

He is involved in the organization "Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affair".

Our governments - we live in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands - are against the new agreement.

Only the Netherlands took part in the conference to negotiate the treaty.

In public statements, all three governments advocate a world free of nuclear weapons, as provided for in the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But this does not become a reality through speeches and statements.

Instead, decisive, concrete steps are necessary.

Tom Sauer

Tom Sauer (Belgium) is Professor of International Politics at Antwerp University.

He is involved in the organization "Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affair".

We are working to ensure that Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands initially support the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty and accede to it in due course.

There are four reasons for this: First, such an approach would bring the rhetoric of a world without nuclear weapons into line with the concrete political action of our countries.

Second, they could influence the future development of the treaty, also in their favor.

Thirdly, the peoples of our three countries support the treaty.

Surveys there regularly show clear majorities in favor of joining.

And fourth, such a move would also help strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Our governments should finally advocate a nuclear withdrawal by the United States and thereby exclude the potential involvement of their citizens in a possible nuclear war.

Another special feature unites our three countries.

American nuclear weapons are currently stationed in all of them.

As part of this nuclear participation, it is planned that German, Belgian or Dutch pilots use the weapons with national aircraft.

This practice is regularly criticized.

In all three countries, for example, the parliaments have demanded the withdrawal of American nuclear weapons in corresponding resolutions.

The new nuclear weapons ban treaty would prohibit the stationing of nuclear weapons in any other country.

We believe that nuclear weapons in our countries are relics of the Cold War - today without any military use.

Our governments should finally advocate a nuclear withdrawal by the United States and thereby exclude the potential involvement of their citizens in a possible nuclear war.

As NATO members, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands are involved in the alliance's further nuclear planning.

With the threat of the use of nuclear weapons for defense purposes, our governments are trying to guarantee security by means of weapons of mass destruction of devastating effects.

Such a policy cannot provide security in the long run.

It is necessary that the defense alliance begin to discuss effective non-nuclear deterrence strategies.

In addition, the USA and Russia should extend the "New START" treaty and begin bilateral negotiations on a successor treaty that also includes tactical nuclear weapons.

Unfortunately, there is mainly criticism of the prohibition treaty from among our governments.

It is argued that the treaty has symbolic value at best, or that it poses a threat to international security.

From our point of view, these arguments are simply wrong.

The treaty is an effective international legal instrument and binds all contracting states to comply with the relevant prohibitions.

The treaty is the first valid agreement to ban nuclear tests.

The nuclear test ban treaty, which is supposed to guarantee this, has not come into force for 25 years - also because the USA and China have not yet ratified it.

The prohibition treaty and the existing non-proliferation treaty are also not legally incompatible.

This has just been confirmed by the Scientific Service of the Bundestag and sees both treaties as part of a common disarmament architecture.

In addition, the new contract is already taking effect.

Financial players such as pension and investment funds - for example in the Netherlands - as well as banks, including Deutsche Bank, are already considering the nuclear weapon ban in their investment decisions.

Participation in companies that are involved in the production of nuclear weapons is excluded.

Last but not least, the behavior of the other parties confirms the real meaning of the agreement.

In December 2020, for example, NATO repeated its fundamental opposition to the treaty in a clear declaration.

Why this attitude when the contract supposedly only had symbolic value?

The first act within the framework of the new prohibition treaty is a meeting of all contracting states one year after it comes into force.

Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands should take this opportunity to participate as observers.

Such an exchange would initially not oblige our countries to do anything.

With this step, however, you could signal a departure from your previously negative and sometimes derogatory attitude.

The Belgian government agreement of September 2020 is a start here.

International diplomacy benefits from constructive engagement.

The upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference would also benefit.

The Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty is a clear sign that a growing number of states are taking seriously the promise of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Western Europe should not ignore this request.

Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands should work together on the withdrawal of American nuclear weapons and join the prohibition treaty as soon as possible.

This would enable them to follow their previous words with deeds.

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