Nuclear Sovereignty

It is a paradox today that, although the dangers posed by nuclear arsenals continue undiminished, the social movements and intellectual arguments opposing them have virtually disappeared. This essay argues that in order to mount an effective movement to abolish nuclear weapons we must first understand clearly the principle roles they play, which are primarily political and economic: to support ever more tenuous claims to sovereign power and to bolster the functioning of capital. If we want to contest the nuclear regimes effectively, we will need to find ways to attack sovereignty and capital.