Bright Future for Nuclear Disarmament or Utopia?: Legal Assessment of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons of 2017 and Its Relationship with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 1968

Abstract

Ugovor o zabrani nuklearnog oružja prvi je univerzalni međunarodni ugovor koji propisuje zabranu nuklearnog oružja te kao takav predstavlja velik doprinos međunarodnom pravu u području nuklearnog razoružanja. Glavna svrha i cilj Ugovora o zabrani nuklearnog oružja jest potpuna eliminacija nuklearnog oružja. Države koje su stranke Ugovora o zabrani nuklearnog oružja pripadaju skupini koja ne posjeduje nuklearno oružje te u odnosu na njih pridržavanje pravila i ispunjenje obveza propisanih Ugovorom o zabrani nuklearnog oružja ne bi trebalo predstavljati nikakav problem. Međutim, praktični učinak ugovora o kontroli nuklearnog oružja velike nuklearne sile smatraju nerealnim i progresivnim pristupom razoružanja. Stoga je vrlo teško predvidjeti hoće li se nuklearne države i njihovi saveznici odlučiti na ratifikaciju ugovora u skoroj budućnosti. Prema tome, u kontekstu Ugovora o zabrani nuklearnog oružja pokušat će se ponuditi odgovor na sljedeća pitanja. Prvo, može li Ugovor o zabrani nuklearnog oružja per se predstavljati temeljni pravni okvir kojeg se sve države moraju pridržavati? I drugo, mogu li nuklearne države prema pravilu persistent objector spriječiti moguću uspostavu običajnog međunarodnog prava? Za pretpostaviti je kako će upravo pritisak nenuklearnih država možda na neki način utjecati na nuklearne države kako bi u određenoj mjeri osjećale obvezu pridržavanja odredbi koje propisuje Ugovor o zabrani nuklearnog oružja. Zbog uspostave norme koja zabranjuje nuklearno oružje, potrebno je u konačnici objasniti i odnos Ugovora o zabrani nuklearnog oružja s već postojećim pravnim instrumentima, posebice s Ugovorom o neširenju nuklearnog oružja.The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first universal international treaty that stipulates the prohibition of nuclear weapons and as such represents a major contribution to international law in the field of nuclear disarmament. The main purpose and goal of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. States that are parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons belong to the group that does not possess nuclear weapons, and in relation to them, compliance with the rules and fulfilment of the obligations prescribed by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should not pose any problem. However, the practical effect of the nuclear arms control treaty is seen by the major nuclear powers as an unrealistic and progressive approach to disarmament. Therefore, it is very difficult to predict that the nuclear states and their allies will decide to ratify the treaty in the near future. Therefore, in the context of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, an attempt will be made to offer an answer to the following questions. First, can the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons per se constitute a fundamental legal framework to which all states must adhere? And secondly, can nuclear states, according to the persistent objector rule, prevent the possible establishment of customary international law? It is to be assumed that the pressure of the non-nuclear states may in some way influence the nuclear states so that they feel the obligation to comply with the provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to a certain extent. Due to the establishment of a norm that prohibits nuclear weapons, it is necessary to ultimately explain the relationship of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons with already existing legal instruments, especially with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons