måndag 11 september 2017

Nedrustning mer angeläget än på länge


Kärnvapennedrustning tycks ha blivit kontroversiellt. När Donald Trumps administration hotar att begränsa militärt samarbete med Sverige bör regeringen backa om ett global kärnvapenförbud, hävdar borgerliga debattörer. En märklig syn när hotet från kärnvapen känns mer akut än på länge och USA är beroende av Sverige för att leva upp till sina åtaganden gentemot de baltiska länderna.

Tvärtom är det utmärkt att regeringen satt ny fart på nedrustningspolitiken efter åratal i skuggan under Reinfeldts regeringstid. En dag som denna finns det skäl att påminna om Blixkommissionen med en rad ledande experter, som Anna Lindh tillsatte. Kommissionens analys och rekommendationer är fortfarande högaktuella. Till exempel om ett kärnvapenförbud:

"Nuclear weapons must never again be used – by states or by terrorists – and the only way to be sure of that is to get rid of them before someone, somewhere is tempted to use them. 
   Today, we are in a dangerous situation. There has been a third wave of nuclear proliferation. Proliferation has not been halted and serious steps to outlaw nuclear weapons have not been taken. 
   President Ronald Reagan said in his second inaugural address: ‘We seek the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth’. This was in 1985. The Commission concurs. Nuclear weapons are remnants of the Cold War. It is time to outlaw them, as the world has done in the case of chemical and biological weapons. 
   In a landmark advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice agreed unanimously that: 
   ‘There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control.’ 
   Such an obligation requires that states actively pursue measures to reduce the numbers of nuclear weapons and the importance of their role in military force structures. Yet, even though nuclear-weapon states ask other states to plan for their security without nuclear weapons, they do not themselves seem to be planning for this eventuality. 
   A key challenge is to dispel the perception that outlawing nuclear weapons is a utopian goal. A nuclear disarmament treaty is achievable and can be reached through careful, sensible and practical measures. Benchmarks should be set; definitions agreed; timetables drawn up and agreed upon; and transparency requirements agreed. Disarmament work should be set in motion. This chapter identifies many measures and initiatives that would move the world towards nuclear disarmament. It is time to move from the present stalemate and revive the discussion and negotiations about such steps."