Limiting Weapons: Crafting International Nuclear Nonproliferation Standards from Latin America

Abstract

After the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the countries in Latin America created a communal framework for nuclear security and a nuclear-free zone through the Tlatelolco Treaty. Mexico, a middle power, emerged as the leader of the negotiations and Mexican diplomats later used Tlatelolco to actively participate in the formulation of international nuclear norms and institutions. How did a middle power, with limited capacities in the hierarchies of authority, influence global nuclear governance? Mexico strategically used the Latin American coalition and the nuclear standard as a way of amplifying its influence in the international negotiations.