Description
This paper will draw upon the narratives of time articulated by proponents of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and upon the counter narratives of P5 state representatives to show how the norms of deterrence and the non-possession are maintained are created. It will argue that the story of apocalyptic time, articulated by the proponents of the TPNW work to disturb the logic of deterrence by distorting and rejecting its key supposition. It will also show that counter to this, P5 representatives draw upon a different understanding of time through which the norm of deterrence makes sense. Through looking at these different understandings of time in relation to the TPNW and the possession of nuclear weapons, this paper will show that stories of how the world is, stories of time, and the assumptions made to make those stories appear true, function to create a world in which some violence, against some people, is accepted.
