SECURITIZATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TREATY ON THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS (NPT): THE POWER OF DISCOURSE

Abstract

The theme of national security and the securitization process of nations have been debated for decades by researchers from various schools of thought who have outlined characteristics that shape different patterns, across the economic, political, diplomatic, or technological/military fields. In parallel, amidst the growth of nuclear weapons stockpiles during the Cold War, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was implemented as a security measure to prevent new nations from producing nuclear bombs, regulate existing warheads, and promote the development of energy for peaceful purposes. In modern times, with the end of bipolarity, the theoretical field of securitization has found support in the concepts developed by the so-called Copenhagen School, whose main authors are Barry Buzan, Ole Waever, and Jaap de Wilde. For these authors, securitization was constructed from official discourse, placing excessive emphasis on the power of discourse. In this sense, this study aims to analyze the power of discourse and social manipulation in matters involving national security, based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its implications. As a result, researchers identified discourse as the most powerful weapon of securitization, which should be evaluated with caution, as it can ignore dissenting opinions, construct a dissonant reality, and authorize illegitimate government actions. Therefore, a new methodology for developing research design is necessary, reducing the risk of an incomplete analysis of the discourse.