Becoming a disarmament champion: the Austrian crusade against nuclear weapons. Issue 5 (2nd September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maitre, Emmanuelle; Lévy, Pauline
• Is Part Of: Nonproliferation review. Volume 26:Issue 5/6(2019)
• Page Start: 537
• Page End: 557
• Publication Date: 2019-09-02
• Subjects: Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons -- Austria -- humanitarian consequences -- diplomacy -- history -- disarmament -- neutrality -- humanitarian law; 327.17405
• DOI: 10.1080/10736700.2019.1690312
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1073-6700

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The making of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has put Austria and its involvement in nuclear disarmament in the spotlight. This study highlights several factors that led Austria to become a prominent voice in nuclear-disarmament debates. First, its involvement dovetails with the emphasis on humanitarian disarmament it has promoted since the 1990s. Second, a strong antinuclear identity pervades Austrian society. This "nuclear allergy" combines antimilitarism inherited from the Cold War and, more broadly, an aversion to nuclear power, including for energy purposes. These two considerations form the background to the increased activism of the Austrian Foreign Ministry on nuclear disarmament in international fora. But, equally, Austria's crusade for the TPNW can be attributed to the engagement of a small team of diplomats implementing personal as well as national preferences in favor of disarmament.