Nuclear imperialism

The phrase ‘nuclear imperialism’ was first popularised by the Ghanaian leader, Kwame Nkrumah, during protests against French nuclear weapons tests in the Algerian Sahara (1960-1966). Alongside ‘nuclear colonialism’, the term has since been widely adopted by anti-nuclear campaigners, from First Nations against uranium mining to anti-colonial champions of a nuclear-free Pacific. Despite its widespread usage, the conceptual merit of ‘nuclear imperialism’ remains unclear, its significance having been drawn from its power as a campaign slogan. Building on recent research into nuclear imperialism, this entry suggests that the term possesses immense conceptual value. Unlocking that value requires rooting ‘nuclear’ more deeply in discrete histories and theories of imperial power.