IALANA Statement Regarding the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on the Occasion of its Opening for Signature on 20 September 2017

IALANA – the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms – welcomes the adoption on 7 July 2017 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The nuclear weapons ban treaty is a powerful and eloquent statement, grounded in an understanding of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear explosions, of the political, moral, and…

Nuclear Coalitions and the Ban Treaty: A Reaction to the First Draft Treaty Text

By Daniel Rietiker (PhD), on behalf of Swiss Lawyers for Nuclear Disarmament (SLND – SAFNA)[1] June 6, 2017 Introduction In the ongoing negotiations with a view to adopting a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons (“ban treaty”), the question whether States hosting nuclear weapons on their territory or relying on a nuclear umbrella should be able to…

Sign the Lawyers’ Letter on the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons!

LAWYERS’ LETTER ON THE ABOLITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Nuclear arms are the only weapons of mass effect and destruction not yet prohibited by an international convention, even though they are the most destructive and indiscriminate weapons ever created. People are capable of good-faith, law-guided, problem solving at all levels of society: family, neighborhood, national, international.…

The (Il?)legality of Nuclear Weapons Tests Under International Law—Filling the Possible Legal Gap by Ensuring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty’s Entry into Force

Please click here for a recent article by Daniel Rietiker published in the Insights of ASIL (American Society of International Law) pleading for the usefulness of a timely entry into force of the CTBT.

Withdrawal Clauses in Arms Control Treaties: Some Reflections about a Future Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons

By Daniel Rietiker It might appear strange to care about withdrawal from a treaty before it has been negotiated or concluded. We are nevertheless of the opinion that, in modern treaty making, States conceive the acts of joining and leaving a treaty regime together and, therefore, the discussion of the right of withdrawal regarding a…

Why Did Trump Pick a Fight with Putin Over the Nuclear Weapons Treaty?

By Joe Cirincione Published in “Defence One” February 9, 2017 President Donald Trump has already picked a fight with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over nuclear weapons and the New START treaty. It is a curious battle to choose. The treaty enjoys the overwhelming backing of America’s top national security leaders and military commanders. Trump reportedly didn’t know what…

Between Prosperity and Destruction: A Modern Interpretation of the Right to Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy in Light of the Protection of Human Rights and Future Generations

by Daniel Rietiker Abstract: This chapter takes a new approach to the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The pros and cons of nuclear energy will be assessed in light of human rights standards, whereby civil as well as economic, social and cultural rights will be equally taken into account. Contrary to environmental…