Why Mexico Opposes Nuclear Weapons

Mexico has been a consistent, principled advocate for nuclear disarmament since the 1960s. Its opposition rests on five pillars:

1. Humanitarian Imperative: Nuclear weapons cause indiscriminate, catastrophic harm—blast, heat, radiation, famine, climate disruption. Their use violates international humanitarian law and basic morality.
2. National & Regional Security: Proliferation increases risk of accidental/intentional use, destabilizes Latin America. Mexico led the Treaty of Tlatelolco (1967), making Latin America the first populated Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone.
3. Peaceful Nuclear Use: Supports nuclear energy for electricity, medicine (isotopes), agriculture (sterile insect technique), under strict IAEA safeguards. Operates Laguna Verde plant.
4. Treaty Commitments: Party to NPT (1969), CTBT (1999), TPNW (2021 — Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons). Active in NPT Review Conferences.
5. Global Order Vision: A nuclear-free world reduces great-power tensions, frees resources for development (SDGs), and embodies Mexico's "Estrada Doctrine" of non-intervention and peaceful dispute settlement.

Mexico's stance is not symbolic—it's diplomatic DNA, shaped by its history as a non-nuclear state surrounded by nuclear powers.