Description
The Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is widely referred to as a global regime embodying near universal ‘norms’. Yet, the history of the origins and the evolution of the regime are frequently framed as a function of superpower relations. The voices of neutral as well as non-nuclear states are consequently edited out despite their central role in giving the regime its global character and outlook. This paper engages with prevailing narratives about the origins of the treaty and the assumptions they embody about agency in international relations. Through tracing the role of Egypt in the negotiations of the Treaty, the paper points to the multiple influences that shaped that landmark treaty as an idea, draft then as a final adopted text. A broader conception of normative agency, drawn from the negotiating record of the treaty, opens up questions for responsibility and accountability of a wider set of actors in shaping the current institutions underpinning the global nuclear order.
