Publication

There is renewed and deep international concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the detonation of nuclear weapons in populated areas. Yet 25 years after the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence remain central to the security doctrines of a significant number of states. Drawing on a range of perspectives, this report explores what viewing nuclear weapons through a humanitarian lens entails, and why it is undergoing such a revival. It examines recent developments in this humanitarian perspective and contemplates what these could mean for nuclear arms control in the near future.