An FMCT which is not a one-off measure, but like the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, involves frequent negotiations on further reductions, could fuse well into the fight for nuclear weapons abolition. This would be the best way of rolling back some of the damage the two have inflicted upon themselves and upon the global disarmament agenda, and of contributing to the worthy goal of global elimination of these horror weapons. Such major changes in official policies, it can be safely predicted, will not come about through initiatives at the state level alone, however far-reaching they may be. They will of necessity require citizens' action, grassroots pressure, and campaigning by NGOs, all leading to shifts in public opinion and the emergence of new policy agendas through advocacy and lobbying. No great evil in history, such as colonialism or racism, has ever been abolished without mobilisation at the level of citizens and peoples.
Nuclear weapons are just such an evil.
Their eradication too will need concerted citizen-level action. This is not as utopian or daunting as it might seem. But with Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee's visit to Lahore, it has invaded the official agenda. Ideal solutions can only come about through realistic small steps. But that is no reason why we must not believe in ideals.