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On July 31, 2025, NAPF President Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes appeared as a featured guest on Neutrality Studies, a YouTube series hosted by Dr. Pascal Lottaz. In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Hughes offers a candid and compelling look at the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons—and how science, diplomacy, and public will can help chart a path to disarmament.
Dr. Hughes, also Director of Frontiers of Science and senior lecturer in chemistry at Columbia University, reflects on her personal journey from academic science into the field of nuclear policy. She shares how teaching undergraduates at Columbia first awakened her to the staggering dangers of nuclear weapons—and her growing sense of responsibility as a scientist and mother to act.
Topics discussed include:
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The flawed logic of nuclear deterrence and how every war game ends in escalation
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Scientific realities of nuclear winter and mass global famine, even from a regional war
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Historic near-misses and how close the world has come to catastrophe
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Verification and inspection frameworks that could support disarmament
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The TPNW’s growing momentum and how Global South and neutral countries are leading the way
Dr. Hughes emphasizes that while nuclear weapons are often treated as permanent fixtures of international security, they are entirely dismantlable—and that continued reliance on luck, deterrence, and outdated Cold War logic is both dangerous and unnecessary.
“We are not stuck with these weapons. Eliminating them is a political decision—and once made, it is entirely feasible to implement.”
The conversation also contrasts the stagnation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with the energy behind the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which now includes 73 states parties and growing support worldwide.
“This isn’t about symbolism. It’s about survival—and holding up our end of the bargain.”
From Hiroshima to climate models to the modern-day risks of miscalculation, the interview is both sobering and hopeful. As Dr. Hughes makes clear, a nuclear-free world is still within reach—but only if we choose it.
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