The UN General Assembly has served as an opportunity to hold a signing ceremony for the UN on the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. The language of the ban was initially passed back in July, with 122 countries in favor.
The signing ceremony was a success, with 51 nations having now ratified it. Under the ban’s language, it takes effect 90 days after the 50th nation ratifies it. This means the clock has started on the treaty.
Not that it really matters to the major powers. None of the world’s nuclear armed states voted in favor of the treaty, let alone ratified it, so it carries no immediate consequences to the world’s nuclear arsenals.
Which doesn’t mean the treaty is totally worthless, either. The treaty sets at least some of the world in favor of global nuclear disarmament, and as we’ve seen in the past with things like the land mine and chemical weapons bans, even a modest start could eventually expand into something impactful.
Unfortunately, not a single NATO member nation has ratified the treaty. The Netherlands conspicuously voted in favor of it back in July, but did not appear to follow through with a ratification, likely reflecting the US opposition to the matter.
Great Britain and France began their nuclear bomb program to use it against Germany if needed. That morphed into use against the Soviet Union if needed. De Gaulle did not believe that NATO, that is to say the US, would retaliate against a Soviet nuclear attack on France.
Today there is scant justification for France and Great Britain to have a nuclear deterrent. They merely want to continue to be counted among the big boys. Ridiculous.
“American Exceptionalism” means never having to say anything but F- U to anyone expecting that you will follow the laws/rules/morals that the rest of the world is expected to follow.
The Netherlands failure to ratify the treaty was not because of US opposition to it. It failed to ratify because of US orders. The NATO countries are not sovereign, but vassals of Washington.