Dutch role as bridge builder in nuke talks should inspire Japan

Like Japan, The Netherlands is unlikely to sign a landmark treaty banning nuclear weapons, for which negotiations are expected to conclude by July. Security concerns are too high, the international environment is too unstable and the pressure from allies, the United States in particular, is too strong.Unlike Japan, however, The Netherlands took part in the first session of negotiations in late March, the only country under the American nuclear umbrella to do so. This is because Dutch civil society acted as a counterweight to international pressure, pushing The Hague to operate as a bridge b…READ FULL ARTICLE