Nuclear non-proliferation in Latin American terms:
The Treaty of Tlatelolco and the regional balance of power
Recognizing that nuclear weapons have been the main strategic security issue since the advent of atomic weapons, the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, as the first one of its kind, established a non-proliferation regime under Latin American terms, accounting for the importance of nuclear energy in the development of some of their state parties.
Far from a naïve or crude understanding of international relations, Latin American countries' belief that all nuclear weapons should be eliminated made it possible to create the first nuclear-weapon-free zone through an engaging Treaty that circumvents many global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime failures and shortcomings, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's inability to accomplish complete nuclear abolition. As such, Latin American countries not only committed themselves to the NWFZ they have established but also constantly pushed for nuclear abolition efforts multilaterally.
The research seeks to enlighten how Latin American countries have created a non-proliferation system of their own with the Tlatelolco Treaty, identifying how these actors opted for regional balance pursuing the alliance provided by the Treaty, which proscribed the pursuit and employment of atomic weapons in the region, and how they consciously built this balance of power with clear principles that regulate their relations and have a direct implication on each state's internal affairs as well.
Drawing from theoretical sources in realism and postcolonial theories, a sui generis analysis of Latin America's political dynamics ensues, arguing that the interactions between Brasília and Buenos Aires determine the regional power equilibrium, acknowledging that, when Argentina and Brazil do not align, progress in regional negotiations becomes challenging and tends to decelerate or even stagnate.
