Thread by @Wildfire_v

Right, it's time for a serious rant. This has been building for a while, but it's been brought to a head by the debacle at the Conference on Disarmament yesterday ("Creating an Environment for Nuclear Disarmament"). Read on - it's not what you think. #TPNW #CEND 1/n

Required reading to follow this rant:

Chris Ford's presentation to the CD: state.gov/t/isn/rls/rm/2…

Summary of the subsequent discussion: unog.ch/unog/website/n…

#TPNW #CEND 2/n

First, credit where it is due: to CD president @USAmbCD for organizing a substantive discussion on nuclear disarmament; to the US for bringing something to the table; and to Russia for responding constructively. #PleasantlySurprised #TPNW #CEND 3/n

It was a thousand times better than the asinine "laundry list" mudslinging that the US and Russia indulged in at the CD last week. It is also encouraging that the US sees the way forward as lying outside the CD (at last!) #TPNW #CEND 4/n

So the targets of this rant are not the US and Russia, but the (supine and pathologically timid) proponents of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, who - yet again - squandered a perfect opportunity to put the #TPNW to work. #CEND 5/n

Here was a senior US official outlining a plan to launch an inclusive and far-reaching dialogue on nuclear disarmament, and nobody - nobody! - spoke about how the #TPNW might contribute to creating an environment for nuclear disarmament. #CEND 6/n

Apart from a passing reference from Brazil, the only mentions of the #TPNW were from those who oppose it. Mexico spoke, but did not mention the TPNW. Ireland, Austria, South Africa, NZ, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia - silent as the grave. #CEND 7/n

And Ford gave them two perfect opportunities: first, he repeated the old US misrepresentation of the #TPNW as an "alternative". This was the moment for TPNW supporters to make clear that the treaty is an addition to, not a replacement for, existing measures. #CEND 8/n

As such, the #TPNW can and must play a role in #CEND, and there is much to discuss about how it might do this, both before and after entry into force. Why didn't TPNW proponents talk to Ford about this? 9/n

The second opportunity was Ford's point about verification needing to satisfy non-nuclear-weapon states as well as weapon states. This was the moment for #TPNW supporters to talk about the "expansion slots" the treaty provides for adding verification measures. #CEND 10/n

But again - silence! This is in keeping with the apparent "strategy" of #TPNW supporters to keep quiet and hide under a rock until "after the NPT PrepCom", so they don't get blamed for rocking the #NPT boat. #CEND 11/n

This is a deeply misguided and counterproductive "strategy". Newsflash for #TPNW proponents: there is no such thing as "after the NPT". There is an #NPT meeting EVERY FUCKING YEAR (well, with 1 year off in 5, for humanitarian reasons). Are you going to hide forever? #CEND 12/n

Opponents say the #TPNW is confrontational, divisive and undermines the #NPT. Have you considered that your "strategy" of hiding and never talking about the TPNW actually reinforces this narrative? It's as if you're ashamed of the treaty! #CEND 13/n

You could be stepping out with calm assurance, confident that the #TPNW can contribute to realizing shared goals in both the #NPT and #CEND, and ready to show how. Instead, you're cowering in foxholes waiting for EIF, while P5 goons pick you off one by one. #CEND 14/n

EIF is not the magical protection you think it is, but more importantly, EIF will never happen if you carry on like this. Who wants to ratify an invisible treaty? Why join a treaty whose key proponents seem to be ashamed and anxious about it? #TPNW #CEND 15/n

The #TPNW was an extraordinary achievement. So it is both baffling and heartbreaking to watch you pissing it into the wind. You are missing opportunities, strengthening the opposing narrative, endangering EIF, and doing serious damage. #CEND 16/n

Please, #TPNW signatories and other supporters, get your act together before it's too late. The treaty has so much to offer, but only if you believe in it. And if you don't believe in it, who will?

#CEND 17/17 End of rant.