This book analyses the politics of the humanitarian disarmament community—a loose coalition of activist and advocacy groups, humanitarian agencies and diplomats—who have successfully achieved international treaties banning landmines, cluster munitions and nuclear weapons, as well as restricting the global arms trade. Two campaigns have won Nobel Peace Prizes. Disarmament has long been a dirty word in the international relations lexicon. But the success of the humanitarian disarmament agenda shows that people often choose to prohibit or limit certain violent technologies, for reasons of security, honour, ethics or humanitarianism. This edited volume showcases interdisciplinary research by scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the dynamics and impact of the new global activism on weapons. While some raise concerns that humanitarian disarmament may be piecemeal and depoliticizing, others see opportunities to breathe new life into moribund arms control policymaking. Foreword by 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams.
Author(s): Matthew Bolton, Sarah Njeri, Taylor Benjamin-Britton
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 279
Tags: Military And Defence Studies, Global Activism, Humanitarian Disarmament
Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii
The Humanitarian Disarmament Movement: An Assessment and Review (Taylor Benjamin-Britton, Matthew Breay Bolton, Sarah Njeri)....Pages 1-24
Front Matter ....Pages 25-25
When Scientists Become Activists: The International Committee for Robot Arms Control and the Politics of Killer Robots (Matthew Breay Bolton, Cayman C. Mitchell)....Pages 27-58
The Agency of International Humanitarian Disarmament Law: The Case of Advocacy for Positive Obligations in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Matthew Breay Bolton, Elizabeth Minor)....Pages 59-101
Religious Advocacy and Activism for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Emily Welty, with Gabrielle Chalk)....Pages 103-138
Front Matter ....Pages 139-139
US Arms Control Dynamics in the Era of Humanitarian Disarmament: A Case Study of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Taylor Benjamin-Britton)....Pages 141-168
The Politics of Non-recognition: Re-evaluating the Apolitical Presentation of the UN Humanitarian Mine Action Programs in Somaliland (Sarah Njeri)....Pages 169-195
Front Matter ....Pages 197-197
The Relationship Between Humanitarian Disarmament and General and Complete Disarmament (Dan Plesch, Kevin Miletic)....Pages 199-224
Addressing the Political Impact of Inclusion and Exclusion in Multilateral Disarmament Forums (Elizabeth Minor)....Pages 225-251
Back Matter ....Pages 253-272
