The Nuclear Club: How America and the World Policed the Atom from Hiroshima to Vietnam

The Nuclear Club discusses how powerful and developing states embraced global governance to promote a bright and peaceful future. It highlights the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco, and 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which banned nuclear testing, atomic armaments, and foreign intervention.

Format: Hardback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The Nuclear Club delves into the fascinating story of how a powerful coalition of both developed and emerging nations came together to shape global governance in pursuit of a brighter and more peaceful future. Despite the lingering specter of nuclear war, it was the perceived threat to their dominance that propelled Washington, Moscow, and London to endorse key treaties such as the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) in 1963, which effectively put an end to nuclear testing. This treaty was followed by the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1967, which outlawed atomic armaments in Latin America, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968, which barred further countries from joining the exclusive club of nuclear-armed nations.

This transformative period from 1945 to 1970 marked a significant shift in international society, the Cold War dynamics, and the presidency of the United States. It inaugurated a global nuclear order that aimed to prevent conflict in the industrialized North and, according to George Orwell, created a façade of peace that pervaded the world. However, the nuclear order has since come to legitimize foreign intervention worldwide, empowering the nuclear club, particularly the United States, to impose sanctions and even launch preventive wars against countries deemed to possess or threaten nuclear weapons. These actions are often justified under the guise of protecting humanity and upholding international law.

The Nuclear Club serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the unintended consequences of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the power dynamics that underpin the global nuclear order. It underscores the need for international cooperation, arms control measures, and a commitment to disarmament to ensure a safer and more peaceful world for all.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503630086