The World Court Project: The Evolution and Impact of an Effective Citizens' Movement

Abstract

This study began in 1994, and was initially the dissertation component for an M.A.(Hons). As it developed, it became clear that a much greater commitment of time and research was needed to do justice to the historic importance of the international citizens' initiative I had chosen to document. During 1993-94 the World Court Project (WCP) helped to persuade the UN to request the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the legal status of nuclear weapons. At the end of 1995 the thesis was upgraded to PhD level, which offered scope to delve more deeply into the archives of individuals and organisations behind the WCP; to interview some of the personalities who had helped it succeed; and to place the stories in the wider historical context of both Aotearoa/New Zealand's (A/NZ) foreign and defence policies and international nuclear disarmament issues.