Leila Hennaoui examines the historical legacies of nuclear colonialism, the leadership of the Global South in reimagining nuclear governance, and the transformative shift represented by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Historically, a few colonial powers that set international norms and security frameworks shaped global power dynamics. The subsequent wave of decolonisation led to the rise of the Global South, which began asserting its sovereignty and challenging traditional power structures. This shift has created a multipolar world in which diverse voices now shape international policies.
A handful of nuclear-armed states have long dominated the nuclear governance landscape. Now, the nations of the Global South are mounting increasing challenges to their dominance. The Global South is advocating for a reimagined nuclear order that emphasises justice, equity, and human dignity over traditional notions of military power and deterrence. In so doing, it is shaping a new decolonial vision for disarmament.
Colonial hierarchies have always shaped the global nuclear order. Reflecting patterns of colonial domination, nuclear-armed states have dictated who may possess nuclear weapons and who must remain disarmed.
Nuclear colonialism manifests in extraction, testing, and governance. When nuclear states sought testing grounds, they turned to colonised or marginalised territories, including Algeria, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. France’s nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara left lasting contamination. US and UK tests in the Pacific displaced entire communities.
When nuclear states sought testing grounds, they turned to colonised or marginalised territories, including Algeria, the Pacific Islands, and Australia
Uranium mining followed the same logic. Niger fuelled France’s nuclear industry, yet the French government subjected the country's mining towns to economic neglect and exposed Nigeriens to dangerous radiation. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplied uranium to the US for the bomb it dropped on Hiroshima. Yet the people of the DRC saw no benefits from the sale; only the consequences of resource extraction.
Even in diplomacy, the colonial structure persists. The 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) codified a two-tier system: a handful of nuclear-armed states retain their arsenals, while others (many in the Global South) face strict controls and security constraints, policed under a nuclear regime they had no role in shaping.
Nuclear colonialism is not just history, but an ongoing reality. Colonialism reinforces global inequalities in who controls nuclear power and who suffers its consequences.
Despite the historical and ongoing injustices, the Global South has been at the forefront of challenging nuclear hegemony and advocating for a nuclear-free future. This is not a passive resistance but a strategic reimagining of global security.
A powerful example of this is the creation of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs). These legally binding agreements ban nuclear weapons from entire regions, in defiance of the idea that security must depend on nuclear deterrence. The 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco made Latin America the first nuclear-free region. The 1996 Treaty of Pelindaba ensured that colonial powers would never again subject Africa to nuclear testing or exploitation. These treaties signalled that the Global South was no longer willing to be a testing ground or passive observer.
Beyond regional efforts, the Global South also asserted its agency in multilateral diplomacy. A crucial early moment was the 1955 Bandung Conference, during which newly independent Asian and African nations highlighted the need to eliminate colonialism, and nuclear weapons. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), established in 1961, carried this vision forward. In the 1990s, NAM’s advocacy played a key role in the negotiation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). NAM emphasised the CTBT's importance for global security and its call for universal adherence. The Global South has had a profound and lasting influence on global disarmament and advancing a decolonised order.
In 2017, the UN adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This marked a key moment in the decolonial reimagining of nuclear disarmament. The NPT had legitimised the nuclear monopoly of a few states and focused on non-proliferation. But the TPNW outlaws nuclear weapons entirely, reframing nuclear disarmament as a humanitarian imperative. It redefines nuclear weapons, stigmatising them as symbols of global inequity and devastation, not tools of security. The TPNW recognises nuclear weapons' cost on the humans affected, and the broader global system distorted by their existence.
The 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons stigmatises them as symbols of global inequity and devastation, not tools of security
The TPNW offers a decolonial alternative to the nuclear order by empowering non-nuclear states — many from the Global South — to reshape global nuclear governance. The Treaty dismantles existing power hierarchies by centring non-nuclear states in the push for nuclear disarmament. In so doing, it overturns the West’s monopoly on arms control. Article 12 of the TPNW calls for universal adherence, shifting the onus of nuclear disarmament from the nuclear-armed states to those advocating for global security. The treaty explicitly embraces multiple perspectives on security, creating space for marginalised voices, including those affected by nuclear colonialism.
This decolonial framing draws a parallel between nuclear weapons and colonialism: both reflect hierarchical control over resources and lives. By challenging the nuclear status quo, the TPNW empowers the Global South to delegitimise nuclear weapons and redefine the global security order, steering us toward a more equitable, nuclear-free future.
Disarmament alone is not enough. True nuclear justice requires addressing the deep-rooted inequalities that sustain the nuclear order. Governments in the minority world continue to exploit the Global South in their nuclear activities. At the same time, the Global South faces discriminatory barriers to peaceful nuclear technology.
Nevertheless, efforts toward justice-centred disarmament are gaining ground. The 2023 UN resolution on nuclear victim assistance marks a significant step toward nuclear justice. It signals a growing recognition of historical injustices, and the need for accountability and reparations.
The 2023 UN resolution on nuclear victim assistance signals growing recognition of historical injustices, and the need for reparations
Yet the road ahead remains complex. The TPNW’s path to universal ratification faces resistance from nuclear-armed states. The 2022 Vienna Declaration, for example, refrained from directly criticising nuclear powers, underscoring the power disparities that continue to shape global nuclear governance. This highlights the need for a pragmatic yet persistent approach.
Despite these hurdles, the Global South’s leadership remains pivotal. While the struggle is far from over, some progress has been made. The path forward continues to take shape.
