Publication

Drawing on the notions of civilian control and democratic accountability, this paper explores roles and requirements with respect to the governance of nuclear weapons. The paper examines the involvement of the state executive, the military, specialized civilian institutions, parliamentary institutions and civil society in major nuclear states. Subsequently, the paper identifies four distinct layers of accountability including command and control, executive control over nuclear weapons, parliamentary control and public control. The paper argues that the governance of nuclear weapons entails a clear democratic deficit.