Criminality
of Nuclear Weapons
Cnw
Good Faith
In our daily lives we take the idea of "Good Faith" for granted. Most of the time we trust people. If we buy a train ticket to Paris, it doesn't occur to us that it may end up in London just because the engine driver feels like a trip to somewhere different. If we didn't have this trust, our lives together would be impossible. Of course, we know that people are sometimes dishonest; but this is the exception, not the rule.
But something strange happens when people work for large organisations like states. They become dedicated to working for the "national interest". All too often this is defined in a very narrow and short-term way. When states negotiate with each other it is difficult for them to work together for the common interest of humanity.
This is where bad faith shows itself. This is especially true when nuclear weapons are involved because states see them as a symbol of their own power and importance. So diplomats at the negotiating table often have hidden agendas and make empty promises.
Nobody aware of that evidence could be left in the slightest doubt that every step that can be taken legally towards the abolition of this weapon of brutality needs to be taken and that those steps should be taken not nominally but effectively, not leisurely but urgently, not hesitantly but decisively. Good faith should pervade the whole operation, for good faith is an essential element in every aspect of the application and observance of international law:
Christopher Weeramantry, former World Court judge.
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Good faith is an essential element in every aspect of the application and observance of
International Law.
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International Law.
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