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Author: NAPF Press Office
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Sunflower Newsletter: December 2019
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Sunflower Newsletter: November 2019
Issue #268 – November 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life.
Perspectives
- 2019 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award Acceptance Speech by David Krieger
- Honoring David Krieger by Daniel Ellsberg
- We Don’t Need to Raise Taxes to Have “Medicare for All” by Lindsay Koshgarian
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- Court Finds Nonviolent Nuclear Weapons Protestors Guilty
- Imminent Threat of Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
- Trump Confirms Open Secret of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey
Nuclear Waste
- Uranium Still Prevalent in Navajo Women and Children
Nuclear Disarmament
- Dominica Ratifies Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- UN General Assembly’s First Committee Adopts Resolution in Favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- Vatican Representative Calls for Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Threat
- Gorbachev: World Is in “Colossal Danger”
Resources
- Don’t Bank on the Bomb
- Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor
- A Survivor’s Story: From the Atomic Bomb to the Nobel Peace Prize
Foundation Activities
- Evening for Peace Honors David Krieger
- Peace Literacy and the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit
- The Nexus Between Climate Change and International Security
Quotes
Perspectives
2019 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award Acceptance Speech
I have been very fortunate in my life to have a loving wife and family, and to have been able to do the work that mattered most to me – the work of trying to assure a human future.
When we founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the world was adrift in nuclear dangers. We began with no resources, only a belief in the necessity of awakening people everywhere to the dangers of the Nuclear Age – a time in which our technological prowess exceeds our ethical development.
We took a chance in 1982, and here we are nearly four decades later. The Foundation has been a steady, consistent and creative voice for Peace and a world free of nuclear weapons.
To read more, click here.
Honoring David Krieger
There is no more important work in the world today than abolishing the ever-imminent danger of near-extinction of humanity posed by the existence of nuclear weapons.
Yes, obviously, beginning belatedly and urgently to avert the global danger of catastrophic climate change is comparably of the highest level of importance. Yet it is misleading to describe that overwhelming problem, as is too-often done lately, as the only “existential” threat to human survival. As everyone here today recognizes, there are at least two existential challenges, for one of which—the need to abolish nuclear weapons—David Krieger has been perhaps the most consistent, most eloquent prophetic voices of the last half century.
To read more, click here.
We Don’t Need to Raise Taxes to Have “Medicare for All”
As Democratic presidential candidates debate the merits of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal or free college, a chorus of scolds from across the political spectrum will chime in to tell you we can’t afford it.
Over 18 years, the United States has spent $4.9 trillion on wars, with only more intractable violence in the Middle East and beyond to show for it.
A total nuclear weapons ban would mean new treaties and would take years to negotiate. But if we could get there, we could save roughly $43 billion each year on weapons, delivery systems and upgrades
To read the full op-ed in The New York Times, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
Court Finds Nonviolent Nuclear Weapons Protestors Guilty
In Brunswick, Georgia, a group of seven anti-nuclear peace activists, known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 (KBP7), face over 20 years in prison for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
As part of a Christian pacifist movement called Plowshares, the KBP7 engaged in nonviolent direct action at the naval base on April 4th, 2018. April 4 is the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. The activists cut through fences to gain access to the base, thought to contain one of the greatest concentrations of nuclear weapons in the world. They used bottles of their own blood to create messages opposing nuclear weapons and in favor of peace.
In a collective trial, the KBP7 was been found guilty of conspiracy, trespassing, destruction of government property, and depredation of government property. Although they have been charged with several felonies, they argue that their actions were necessary to challenge the far greater crime of weapons of mass destruction.
Gloria Tatum, “Kings Bay Plowshares 7 Found Guilty on All Charges,” Streets of Atlanta, October 25, 2019.
For more information on the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 and how you can support them, click here.
Imminent Threat of Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) has proposed a bill to protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. Although a 20-year ban was implemented in 2012 to protect the Grand Canyon from mining, Grijalva fears the ban is no longer enough to keep out mining groups.
In 2017, President Trump declared uranium to be a key component for national security. Grijalva expects the White House’s Nuclear Fuel Working Group to recommend mining uranium near the Grand Canyon. Grijalva has thus deemed legislation necessary to protect the national park from exploitation. While many Republicans support uranium mining — a core element for the production of nuclear weapons — many Democrats are in opposition due to its destructive effects on the environment.
Miranda Green and Rebecca Beitsch, “Democrats Aim to Protect Grand Canyon from ‘Imminent’ Drilling Threat,” The Hill, October 29, 2019.
Trump Confirms Open Secret of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey
While most experts agree that the U.S. deploys approximately 50 B61 nuclear gravity bombs at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, the U.S. government has never officially confirmed this. On October 16, President Trump was asked whether he was concerned about the safety of these nuclear weapons in Turkey.
Trump replied, “We’re confident, and we have a great — a great air base there, a very powerful air base. That air base alone can take anyplace. It’s a large, powerful air base.”
Zachary Cohen, “Trump Appears to Confirm Open Secret About U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey,” CNN, October 16, 2019.
Nuclear Waste
Uranium Still Prevalent in Navajo Women and Children
A study by the University of New Mexico on the long-term effects of uranium exposure on Navajo women and infants revealed that a quarter of the participants still have high amounts of uranium in their systems. Up until the 1980s in New Mexico, millions of tons of uranium were mined on Native American reservations for the development of nuclear weapons. The impacts from exposure to radiation on the Navajo community still persist, as many today suffer from serious health effects such as cancer and lung problems.
Some U.S. legislators are pressing for the U.S. government to compensate those affected by radiation and are calling out the need to clean up Uranium mines in New Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a five-year plan to clean up abandoned uranium mines. However, the Navajo community feels as if this proposal is not urgent enough considering the serious health issues many have developed over the decades.
Mary Hudetz, “U.S. Official: Research Finds Uranium in Navajo Women, Babies,” Associated Press, October 7, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Dominica Ratifies Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
On October 18, Dominica became the 33rd nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after the 50th nation submits its ratification.
For an up-to-date list of countries that have signed and ratified the treaty, click here.
UN General Assembly’s First Committee Adopts Resolution in Favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by a vote of 119-41, with 15 abstentions. The resolution “calls upon all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date.”
The resolution will be considered by the full UN General Assembly later this month. To read a copy of the full resolution, click here.
Vatican Representative Calls for Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
The Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations has called on global leaders to work to rid the world of nuclear weapons. In a series of addresses to two U.N. committees, Archbishop Bernardito Auza said nations must step up to prevent a new nuclear arms race from emerging and work to reduce growing threats to peace.
“To realize the full promise of these [international treaties], we must work tirelessly to restore dialogue and to fight the trust-deficits, which unfortunately characterize the current situation of disarmament, as well as in the building of our common and collective security,” the Archbishop said.
“Vatican’s UN Rep Pushes for World Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons,” Catholic News Service, October 28, 2019.
Nuclear Threat
Gorbachev: World Is in “Colossal Danger”
The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that current tension between Russia and the West is putting the world in “colossal danger” due to the threat from nuclear weapons.
Gorbachev said, “As long as weapons of mass destruction exist, primarily nuclear weapons, the danger is colossal. All nations should declare that nuclear weapons must be destroyed. This is to save ourselves and our planet.”
“Mikhail Gorbachev: World in ‘Colossal Danger’,” BBC, November 4, 2019.
Resources
Don’t Bank on the Bomb
More and more banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial institutions are excluding nuclear weapon producers from their investments, and helping to build the worldwide stigma against these terrible weapons.
A new report by PAX and ICAN profiles 77 banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial institutions that have a policy to not invest in nuclear weapons. The report shows how a new standard has been firmly established in the financial industry. Excluding companies involved in the production nuclear weapons is the new normal.
To download a free copy of the report, click here.
Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor
Norwegian People’s Aid has published the 2019 Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor. The report measures progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons, by using the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as a yardstick. The report also evaluates the extent to which the policies and practices of all states comply with the prohibitions in the TPNW, regardless of whether they have joined the Treaty yet.
To download a copy of the Ban Monitor, click here.
A Survivor’s Story: From the Atomic Bomb to the Nobel Peace Prize
Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and a member of the NAPF Advisory Council, recently spoke at Harvard University about her experiences. “I speak because I feel it is my responsibility as someone who has intimate knowledge of what these horrific things can do to human beings,” Thurlow said. “I consider it my moral responsibility.”
To read more about Thurlow’s visit to Harvard and to watch a video of her speech, click here.
Foundation Activities
Evening for Peace Honors David Krieger
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation honored David Krieger at its 2019 Evening for Peace, which took place on October 20, 2019.
David co-founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 1982 and has led the organization as its President for nearly four decades. He has dedicated his life’s work to ending the nuclear age and has been a mentor, a respected colleague, and an inspiration to countless people across the globe.
To see event photos, transcripts, and more, click here.
Peace Literacy and the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit
With 90 high school students and 23 educators in attendance from across Canada and the U.S., NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell gave a keynote and presented a workshop at the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit in Winnipeg, Canada, October 9-11. The Summit was held at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR).
The Youth Nuclear Peace Summit discussed the human, environmental, economic, political, and legal costs of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Its goal was to inspire the younger generation to become leaders on the impact of nuclear weapons on society, and empower them as they establish a global network of informed citizens.
To read more about this event, click here.
The Nexus Between Climate Change and International Security
On September 23, Christian N. Ciobanu, NAPF’s New York and Youth Representative, organized an event together with the New York University United Nations Initiative to discuss the many connections between climate change and international security. Peace Boat US, Peace Action New York State, and NYU International Relations Society co-sponsored the event.
Speakers at the event discussed many different issues, including rising sea levels in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the effects of uranium mining on the people of the Navajo Nation, the radioactive contamination that will likely be exposed due to melting ice in Greenland, and the positive obligations in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
To read more about this event, click here.
Quotes
“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“If the munitions on those Trident submarines are ever used, that’s the end of life on Earth. That’s the end of life on Earth. I have to say no to that. We don’t have that right to destroy God’s creation.”
— Liz McAlister, one of the Kings Bay Plowshares Seven, explaining her motivation for engaging in nonviolent direct action at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia.
“I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
Editorial Team
David Krieger
Carley Weiler
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NAPF Honors David Krieger at the 2019 Evening for Peace
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The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation honored David Krieger at the 2019 Evening for Peace, which took place on October 20, 2019.
David co-founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 1982 and has led the organization as its President for nearly four decades. He has dedicated his life’s work to ending the nuclear age and has been a mentor, a respected colleague, and an inspiration to countless people across the globe.
Use the arrows on the photo below to scroll through our 2019 Evening for Peace photo album.
Highlights of the 36th Annual Evening for Peace
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Soka University Koto Club
The Koto Club of Soka University of America performed at the Evening for Peace.
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Anna Ikeda
Anna Ikeda, Program Associate for the SGI Office of UN Affairs, presented David Krieger with the Soka Award of Honor.
Audio of Anna Ikeda’s award presentation.
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Daniel Ellsberg
Transcript of NAPF Distinguished Fellow Daniel Ellsberg’s remarks.
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Perie Longo
Perie Longo read three poems at the Evening for Peace.
A Poem for the Crossroads by David Krieger.
I Refuse by David Krieger
For David Krieger by Perie Longo.
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Sandy Jones and Hal Maynard
Sandy Jones and Hal Maynard performed an original song they wrote for David Krieger.
Video and audio coming soon.
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Mara Sweeney
Dr. Mara Sweeney spoke passionately about David Krieger: her father, “the peace dude.”
Transcript of Mara Sweeney’s remarks.
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Robert Laney
NAPF Board Chair Robert Laney delivered remarks about David Krieger’s career.
Transcript of Robert Laney’s remarks.
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David Krieger
NAPF President David Krieger accepted the Distinguished Peace Leadership Award.
Transcript of David Krieger’s remarks.
Audio of David Krieger’s remarks.
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Rick Wayman
NAPF’s incoming CEO, Rick Wayman, delivered closing remarks on the past, present, and future of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Transcript of Rick Wayman’s remarks.
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Video Tribute to David
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Sunflower Newsletter: October 2019
Issue #267 – October 2019
Our Evening for Peace is October 20th! RSVP here.
Perspectives
- Principles for Global Sustainability by David Krieger
- With Bolton Out of the Way, Peace with North Korea Is Possible by Christine Ahn
- Ten Ways that the Climate Crisis and Militarism Are Intertwined by Medea Benjamin
- Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change by Carlos Umaña
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- U.S. Tests Four Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles
- Faulty $5 Part Leads to $850 Million in Cost Overruns
- Eleven Corporations to Work Together on New ICBM
Nuclear Waste
- Plutonium Test Results Halt Plan for Road Outside Denver
Nuclear Disarmament
- Thirteen Countries Sign and/or Ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- Pope Francis Will Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in November
War and Peace
- Iraqi Children Test Positive for Depleted Uranium
Resources
- This Fall in Nuclear Threat History
- How a U.S.-Russia Nuclear War Would Escalate
- History of Nuclear Weapons Programs
- My Fish Is Your Fish
Foundation Activities
- Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
- Peace Literacy: A Change of Paradigm
- Poetry Contest Winners Announced
- Chappell Receives Unity Walden Award
- Solutions News Podcast
Quotes
Perspectives
Principles for Global Sustainability
I would encourage you to seek to advance global sustainability by adopting a planetary perspective, doing no harm, engaging in doing good for the planet and its present and future inhabitants, choosing hope, and persevering. If we accept these responsibilities as individuals and work to implement them in our national and international policies, we can turn Earth Day into a year-round commitment to creating a planet we can be proud to pass on to future generations.
To read more, click here.
With Bolton Out of the Way, Peace with North Korea Is Possible
On September 10, President Trump fired John Bolton, his third national security adviser, announcing on Twitter that Bolton’s “services were no longer needed.”
From the very day Bolton assumed the role of national security adviser 17 months ago, prospects for peace with North Korea didn’t have a fighting chance. Bolton was a proponent of U.S. military action to prevent Iran and Iraq from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and he made his position on North Korea clear in an August 2017 Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he outlined military options for North Korea, from cyberattacks to regime change through special operations forces.
To read more, click here.
Ten Ways that the Climate Crisis and Militarism Are Intertwined
The environmental justice movement that is surging globally is intentionally intersectional, showing how global warming is connected to issues such as race, poverty, migration and public health. One area intimately linked to the climate crisis that gets little attention, however, is militarism.
To free up billions of Pentagon dollars for investing in critical environmental projects and to eliminate the environmental havoc of war, movements for a livable, peaceful planet need to put “ending war” at the top of the “must do” list.
To read more, click here.
Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change
Life on Earth faces two existential threats: the climate crisis and nuclear weapons. Both threats are closely linked and mutually reinforcing. With the world in flames, the climate crisis is, even for its fiercest deniers, impossible to ignore. However, the vast majority of people do ignore how this situation worsens the risk of nuclear war and why nuclear disarmament is more important today than ever.
To read more, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
U.S. Tests Four Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles
On September 4-6, the United States Navy test-fired four submarine-launched ballistic missiles off the coast of Southern California from the USS Nebraska. The military repeated a standard line about tests of missiles whose sole purpose is to deliver nuclear warheads anywhere on Earth within minutes: “Our nation’s sea-based deterrent has been a critical component of our national security since the 1960s, and this week’s launches continue to demonstrate the credibility and reliability of our life-extended missiles.”
“USS Nebraska Tests Four Trident II D5 Missiles,” U.S. Navy, September 6, 2019.
Faulty $5 Part Leads to $850 Million in Cost Overruns
A faulty $5 electrical component used in two new U.S. nuclear weapon designs will cause a one-year delay and will cost taxpayers up to an additional $850 million.The W88 ALT 370 (a nuclear warhead on submarine-launched ballistic missiles) and the B61-12 (a nuclear gravity bomb) were both using the same commercial capacitors in an effort to help control costs. Prior to this most recent issue, the B61-12 already cost over twice its weight in gold.
During stress testing, some of the capacitors did not meet reliability requirements. Therefore, the National Nuclear Security Administration will have to do significant work in order to integrate a different part.
This is just the latest massive cost overrun in the United States’ 30-year, $1.7 trillion process to rebuild its nuclear arsenal and production infrastructure.
Joseph Trevithick, “U.S. to Spend Hundreds of Millions to Replace a $5 Part in Revamped Nuclear Weapons,” The Drive, September 26, 2019.
Eleven Corporations to Work Together on New ICBM
The weapons company Northrup Grumman has announced partnerships with ten other corporations in its proposal to build a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the United States. The United States will use these ICBMs to continue its posture of threatening other nations with nuclear weapons for decades to come.
Companies in the United States and around the world make billions of dollars each year from the production and maintenance of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.
Aaron Mehta, “Northrop Teams with Lockheed on ICBM replacement. Here’s who else is involved,” Defense News, September 16, 2019.
Nuclear Waste
Plutonium Test Results Halt Plan for Road Outside Denver
A recent soil test showed levels of plutonium five times higher than the cleanup standard at a site that was slated to become a widely traveled road. The land is located in the buffer zone outside of Rocky Flats, where the United States manufactured plutonium pits for nuclear bombs from 1952 to 1989. The site was raided by the FBI in 1989 and shut down because of extreme mishandling of radioactive materials, including plutonium.
The City of Broomfield issued a statement saying that Jefferson Parkway “is not moving forward at this time.”
“Plutonium Test Results Stall Plan For Toll Road Near Rocky Flats,” Colorado Public Radio, September 3, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Thirteen More Countries Sign and/or Ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
In September, thirteen more countries signed and/or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. On September 25, Ecuador ratified the treaty. On September 26, there was a ceremony at the United Nations in New York at which twelve additional countries formally increased their commitment to the treaty.
The following countries signed the treaty: Botswana, Dominica, Grenada, Lesotho, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The following countries ratified the treaty: Bangladesh, Kiribati, and Laos.
The Maldives and Trinidad & Tobago signed and ratified the treaty at the September 26 ceremony.
There are now 79 signatories to the treaty, 32 of which have ratified. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after the 50th country ratifies it.
For a complete list of countries and their treaty status, click here.
Pope Francis Will Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in November
Pope Francis will visit the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in late November as part of a visit to the region. Pope Francis has been a vocal supporter of the abolition of nuclear weapons, and he is expected to amplify this position when visiting the two atomic-bombed cities.
The Japanese government has thus far refused to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, preferring to keep itself under the perceived security of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Pope Francis is expected to meet with Prime Minister Abe and Emperor Naruhito during his time in Japan.
“Pope Francis to visit Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki from Nov. 23 to 26,” Japan Times, September 13, 2019.
War and Peace
Iraqi Children Test Positive for Depleted Uranium
Independent researchers have found that the bodies of Iraqi children born with congenital disabilities, such as heart disease and malformed limbs, near a former United States air base in southern Iraq are contaminated with high levels of radioactive heavy metals associated with toxic depleted uranium pollution left over from the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Researchers tested the hair and teeth of children from villages in proximity to the Talil Air Base, a former U.S. air base, located south of Baghdad and near the city Nasiriyah. They found elevated levels of uranium and of thorium, two slightly radioactive heavy metals linked to cancer and used to make nuclear fuel.
Mike Ludwig, “Iraqi Kids Test Positive for Depleted Uranium Remnants Near Former U.S. Air Base,” Truthout, September 19, 2019.
Resources
This Fall in Nuclear Threat History
History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the Fall, including a December 2008 interview in which U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney confirmed that the U.S. President has sole, unchecked authority to launch nuclear weapons at any time.
To read Mason’s full article, click here.
For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.
How a U.S.-Russia Nuclear War Would Escalate
The Science & Global Security Program at Princeton University has produced a short animation to demonstrate a plausible escalating war between the United States and Russia using realistic nuclear force postures, targets and fatality estimates. It is estimated that there would be more than 90 million people dead and injured within the first few hours of the conflict.
This project is motivated by the need to highlight the potentially catastrophic consequences of current U.S. and Russian nuclear war plans. The risk of nuclear war has increased dramatically in the past two years as the United States and Russia have abandoned long-standing nuclear arms control treaties, started to develop new kinds of nuclear weapons, and expanded the circumstances in which they might use nuclear weapons.
To watch the simulation, click here.
History of Nuclear Weapons Programs
Silvia De Michelis, a Ph.D. student at University of Bradford in the UK and an international trainee with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, has published a series of reports on nations’ nuclear weapons programs.
De Michelis has produced full-length reports and summaries of nuclear weapons programs in North Korea, Iran, India and Pakistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. To access the reports, click here.
My Fish Is Your Fish
The Marshall Islands Student Association (MISA), based at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, has produced a film that tells the story of nuclear weapons testing on the people and places of the Marshall Islands with interviews of survivors. It showcases the work of MISA in educating young people, in particular, about the nuclear legacy in their country and across the Pacific region, primarily through the interconnectedness of the oceans.
To watch the 16-minute film, click here.
Foundation Activities
Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 36th Annual Evening for Peace will honor NAPF President and Co-Founder David Krieger. The event will take place on Sunday, October 20, in Santa Barbara, California.
Krieger has dedicated his life’s work to ending the nuclear age and has been a mentor, a respected colleague, and an inspiration to countless people across the globe. He will retire at the end of 2019 after leading the Foundation for nearly four decades.
This year’s award will be presented by Daniel Ellsberg, NAPF Distinguished Fellow.
For sponsorship information and tickets, click here.
Peace Literacy: A Change of Paradigm
Meredith McGuinness, a kindergarten teacher at LaVérendrye School in Canada, has written an article for the publication Inform-Action: The Manitoba Review for Francophone Educators.
McGuinness writes, “Changing my own mode of thinking hasn’t been hard; neither was difficult explaining it to the children. My colleagues are astonished by the authentic welcoming spirit and kindness that are pervasive amongst primary school children. I am amazed by how quickly they learn. Would it be possible that all other subjects could be taught more successfully if we integrate Peace Literacy in our curriculum? I am looking forward to a change in this paradigm. Peace Literacy is an indispensable subject for the future and it starts from now.”
To read the full article, click here.
Poetry Contest Winners Announced
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has announced the winners of its Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Winners and Honorable Mentions were selected in three age categories: adult, youth (13-18); and youth (12 and under).
To read the winning poems and learn more about the contest, click here.
Chappell Receives Unity Walden Award
On August 2, 2019, Unity Worldwide, joined by an association of spiritual living centers, announced the recipients of the second year of its Walden Awards to honor “dynamic socially conscious leaders” who use “empowering spiritual ideas and philosophies” to change lives and make our planet a better place. NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell has been honored in the category of social and environmental activism, for “exemplary contribution to the understanding, practice, and meaningful expression of spiritually guided social and environmental activism.”
For more information on the Walden Awards, click here.
Solutions News Podcast
NAPF Deputy Director Rick Wayman was a guest on the World Business Academy’s podcast “Solutions News.” Wayman spoke with the hosts about work that NAPF is doing to address the root causes of violence, as well as immediate work to take the world back from the brink of nuclear war.
Click here to download this episode of “Solutions News.”
Quotes
“Anti-nuclear civil resistance is the right of every citizen of this planet. For the nuclear threat, attacking as it does every core concept of human rights, calls for urgent and universal action for its prevention.”
— Judge Christopher Weeramantry, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“We commend the States that have already signed and ratified the [Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons], and we urge all other states—including the nuclear-armed states—to do so as soon as possible, and to get on with the urgent task of eliminating nuclear weapons once and for all.”
— Statement adopted at the 17th Annual World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.
“The [Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons] offers an alternative to the irresponsibility and irrationality of world leaders with nuclear weapons. It outlaws nuclear weapons for everyone, for all time. This treaty is the future. It will enter into force. More countries are joining the treaty at a ceremony in this very building, at this very moment.”
— Mitchie Takeuchi, daughter of a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, delivering a statement at the United Nations on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Editorial Team
David Krieger
Carol Warner
-
Sunflower Newsletter: September 2019
Issue #266 – September 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life.
Perspectives
- Lessons from Einstein for Scientists Today by David Krieger
- The False Promise of Nuclear Power by Robert Jay Lifton and Naomi Oreskes
- With Nukes Back as a Global Danger, Time to Remember Hiroshima by Nassrine Azimi
- The World Can’t Ignore Kashmir. We Are All in Danger by Imran Khan
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- U.S. Tests Intermediate-Range Missile in “Post-INF Treaty World”
Nuclear Waste
- Native American Tribe Says Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land
Nuclear Insanity
- France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste
- Trump Suggested Dropping Nuclear Weapons on Hurricanes
- Beer Company Refuses to Change Product Name After Marshall Islands Outrage
Nuclear Disarmament
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Over Halfway to Entry Into Force
Peace
- Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100
Nuclear Threat
- Russian Radioactivity Monitors Went Silent After Missile Explosion
Resources
- Youth Champions for Securing Our Common Future
Foundation Activities
- Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
- Peace Literacy Workshop in Oregon a Success
- Sadako Peace Day Remembers Victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
Quotes
Perspectives
Lessons from Einstein for Scientists Today
Albert Einstein is widely recognized as the greatest scientist of his time. In 2005, physics societies throughout the world celebrated the 100th anniversary year of Einstein’s “miracle year,” in which he produced five papers that would change humanity’s view of the universe. The year 2005 also marked the 50th anniversary of Einstein’s death and of the issuing of his last public appeal, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto. It is an appropriate time to consider what lessons we might draw from Einstein’s life that would benefit those engaged in scientific activities today.
To read more, click here.
The False Promise of Nuclear Power
Commentators from Greenpeace to the World Bank agree that climate change is an emergency, threatening civilization and life on our planet. Any solution must involve the control of greenhouse gas emissions by phasing out fossil fuels and switching to alternative technologies that do not impair the human habitat while providing the energy we require to function as a species.
Gas and nuclear will play a transitional role, but it is not pragmatic to bet the planet on a technology that has consistently underperformed and poses profound threats to our bodies and our minds. We must question the misleading vision of “Atoms for Peace,” a vision that has always accompanied the normalization of nuclear weapons. We must free ourselves from the false hope that a technology designed for ultimate destruction could be transmogrified into ultimate life-enhancement.
To read the full op-ed by NAPF Adviser Robert Jay Lifton and Harvard professor Naomi Oreskes, click here.
With Nukes Back as a Global Danger, Time to Remember Hiroshima
The sheer number and power of nuclear weapons today can make the bombs that plunged Hiroshima and Nagasaki into nuclear hell 74 years ago seem almost benign. But as the Governor said even here we glimpse merely the outward expressions of grief—we will never know the reality of nuclear horror and the suffering behind the dignified exteriors of survivors.
My friend the Hiroshima architect Akio Nishikiori often describes his childhood memories of the pre-WWII Hiroshima, something of a small Venice with its many rivers and taxi-gondolas. On summer nights his family would eat at cafés along the river and stroll the bustling streets of Nakajima district, then the central shopping and entertainment center. All that vanished with the bomb when Akio was eight. His sister Hisako, who was 14, was killed and Hiroshima almost disappeared into the dark side. The erudite and humanist Akio has dedicated his life to rebuilding his city, and now almost 82, continues to fight for peace every day. But Akio and other citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki alone cannot save us from nuclear annihilation. We must step up, all of us, now—this is by far our most urgent mission.
To read more, click here.
The World Can’t Ignore Kashmir. We Are All in Danger
If the world does nothing to stop the Indian assault on Kashmir and its people, there will be consequences for the whole world as two nuclear-armed states get ever closer to a direct military confrontation. India’s defense minister has issued a not-so-veiled nuclear threat to Pakistan by saying that the future of India’s “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons will “depend on circumstances.” Similar statements have been made by Indian leaders periodically. Pakistan has long viewed India’s “no first use” claims with skepticism.
With the nuclear shadow hovering over South Asia, we realize that Pakistan and India have to move out of a zero-sum mind-set to begin dialogue on Kashmir, various strategic matters and trade. On Kashmir, the dialogue must include all stakeholders, especially the Kashmiris.
To read the full op-ed by the Pakistani Prime Minister in The New York Times, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
U.S. Tests Intermediate-Range Missile in “Post-INF Treaty World”
On August 18, the United States conducted a test of an intermediate-range missile from San Nicolas Island off the coast of California. This missile test would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the Trump administration terminated just over two weeks prior.
Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “Testing and deploying such missiles is dangerous and unnecessary, and raises the risk of armed conflict. There was good reason why these weapons were banned for 32 years, and should have remained banned forever.”
Sandy Jones, “Defense Department Conducts Cruise Missile Test at San Nicolas Island,” Noozhawk, August 20, 2019.
Nuclear Waste
Native American Tribe Says Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land
The Nevada Test Site (now called the Nevada National Security Site) and Yucca Mountain both sit on land that is still claimed by the Western Shoshone Nation. The U.S. government tested hundreds of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, and radioactive contamination at the vast site is still prevalent. While no nuclear waste is being stored at Yucca Mountain, there are some voices in the U.S. government that insist on keeping the project alive.
The Western Shoshone Nation disputes that the land in question belongs to the U.S. government to begin with. They say that the tribe never ceded land claims to the federal government in the Treaty of Ruby Valley, signed in 1863.
John Sadler, “Native American Tribe Claims Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land,” Las Vegas Sun, August 15, 2019.
Nuclear Insanity
France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste
Nearly a century after Marie Curie opened a research lab in Arceuil, a suburb of Paris, it remains off limits because of high levels of radioactivity. Radium has a half-life of 1,600 years, and there are traces of a uranium isotope at the site that has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.
“We’re proof that France has a serious nuclear waste problem,” said Arcueil Mayor Christian Métairie. “Our situation raises questions about whether the country is really equipped to handle it.”
Tara Patel, “France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste,” Bloomberg Businessweek, August 27, 2019.
Trump Suggested Dropping Nuclear Weapons on Hurricanes
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested multiple times to senior officials that the U.S. use nuclear weapons to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States. The sources for this story are people who heard Trump’s remarks and people who were briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments.
According to one unnamed source, Trump said, “I got it. I got it. Why don’t we nuke them? They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they’re moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can’t we do that?”
Jonathan Swan and Margaret Talev, “Scoop: Trump Suggested Nuking Hurricanes to Stop Them from Hitting U.S.,” Axios, August 25, 2019.
Beer Company Refuses to Change Product Name After Marshall Islands Outrage
A Texas-based beer company has thus far refused to change the name of one of its products even after widespread outrage expressed by people in the Marshall Islands. The beer in question is named “Bikini Atoll.”
Jack Niedenthal, Marshall Islands Health and Human Services Secretary, said, “The bottom line is that your product makes fun of a horrific situation here in the Marshall Islands, a situation that I promise you is still ongoing—to make money for your company.”
The United States conducted 67 nuclear weapon tests in the Marshall Islands from 1946-58, with an equivalent explosive yield of 1.7 Hiroshima-sized bombs every day for 12 years. Bikini Atoll was the site of some of the biggest tests, including the Castle Bravo test in 1954, which had an explosive yield 1,000 times larger than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
Kyle Mizokami, “Don’t Name Your Beer for Nuking Somebody’s Home,” Jalopnik, August 29, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Over Halfway to Entry Into Force
The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been ratified by 26 nations. It will enter into force after 50 countries ratify it. Kazakhstan ratified the treaty on August 29, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The Soviet Union conducted over 450 nuclear tests in Kazakhstan, with widespread humanitarian consequences.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines ratified the treaty on July 31, and Bolivia ratified on August 6 — the 74th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
A signature and ratification ceremony will take place at the United Nations in New York on September 26, where additional countries are expected to sign or ratify the treaty.
For an update on which countries have signed and ratified, click here.
Peace
Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100
Frances Crowe was 26 years old when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantly killing tens of thousands of civilians. From the moment Crowe heard about it, she dedicated her life to peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
“I supported World War II,” she said. “It was Hiroshima and the bombing of Dresden that helped me reach the decision that war was not the answer.”
Katharine Q. Seelye, “Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100,” The New York Times, August 28, 2019.
Nuclear Threat
Russian Radioactivity Monitors Went Silent After Missile Explosion
At least four Russian radioactivity monitors went offline following the August 8 explosion of an experimental missile, which killed at least five scientists. The missile is thought to be nuclear-powered.
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization has 80 radionuclide stations around the globe which “measure the atmosphere for radioactive particles,” it says, adding that “only these measurements can give a clear indication as to whether an explosion detected by the other methods was actually nuclear or not.”
Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, “Nuclear Monitoring Stations Went Mysteriously Quiet After Russian Missile Facility Explosion,” CNN, August 20, 2019.
Resources
Youth Champions for Securing Our Common Future
Peace Boat and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) invite young people to join them for a special event, coinciding with the UN General Assembly – First Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security. Approximately 75 young people aged 18–30 will participate in activities promoting peace and disarmament in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Applications are due by September 15. For more information, click here.
Foundation Activities
Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 36th Annual Evening for Peace will honor NAPF President and Co-Founder David Krieger. The event will take place on Sunday, October 20, in Santa Barbara, California.
David has dedicated his life’s work to ending the nuclear age and has been a mentor, a respected colleague, and an inspiration to countless people across the globe. He will retire at the end of 2019 after leading the Foundation for nearly four decades.
This year’s award will be presented by Daniel Ellsberg, NAPF Distinguished Fellow.
For sponsorship information and tickets, click here.
Peace Literacy Workshop in Oregon a Success
This year’s Peace Literacy summer workshop took place in Corvallis, Oregon from August 22-25. Participants included college professors and administrators, community leaders including Rotarians from Florida, California, Oregon, and Washington, and students from Oregon State University.
Click here to read more about the workshop, including comments from many of the attendees.
Sadako Peace Day Remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki Victims
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Sadako Peace Day ceremony took place on August 6 at Westmont College in Montecito, California. The event featured music, poetry, and reflection on the victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all innocent victims of war.
For photos and audio of this year’s event, click here.
Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation partnered with Soka Gakkai International, the Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to organize a side event at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference, which took place in Salt Lake City on August 28.
The theme of the UN conference revolves around Sustainable Development Goal 11: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
In our side event, we talked about two ways that cities have begun speaking out about the nuclear weapons threat: the Back from the Brink Campaign, and the ICAN Cities Appeal. We also featured speakers from Salt Lake City, who described the process that their city went through to pass its resolution against nuclear weapons in April 2019.
Quotes
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
Q: “President Trump has said repeatedly the U.S. could win the war in Afghanistan at the cost of millions of Afghan lives. Does the [U.S.] retain the right to use nuclear weapons against the Taliban?”
Esper: “(chuckle) Ahh.., we reserve the right to keep all options on the table.”
— Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, in a recent press conference.
“We took these actions to say the violence stops here, the perpetual war stops here – at Kings Bay, and all the despair it represents.”
— Clare Grady, one of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 activists who will go on trial October 21 for their 2018 non-violent direct action at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
“New scientific studies have shown that the old paradigm of mutually assured destruction, or MAD, has morphed into SAD, self assured destruction, inviting global famine from catastrophic climate changes after a small regional nuclear war.”
— Robert Dodge, former NAPF Board member, in a letter to the editor published by The New York Times.
Editorial Team
David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman
-
Sunflower Newsletter: August 2019
Issue #265 – August 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life.
Perspectives
- Time for Transition by David Krieger
- The Technological Imperative for Ethical Evolution by Martin Hellman
- Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Dismiss the Trump-Kim Meetings by Gloria Steinem, Christine Ahn, Abigail Disney, Suzy Kim, and Jody Williams
- A Conversation With David Krieger by Sandy Jones
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- Trump Administration has Gutted Budgets for Nuclear Terrorism Prevention
- NATO Document Reveals Location of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
- Trump Adviser Pushed for Saudi Nuclear Deal as He Sought Admin. Role
Nuclear Testing
- Marshall Islands Still Ten Times More Radioactive than Chernobyl
- North Korea Hints it May Restart Nuclear Testing
Nuclear Disarmament
- Talks Held in Vienna to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal
Nuclear Monitoring
- Massive 2017 Radiation Leak Traced to Russia’s Mayak Complex
Nuclear Close Calls
- Russian Submarine Crew Dies Preventing Nuclear Accident on the Seafloor
Resources
- Warheads to Windmills: How to Pay for a Green New Deal
Foundation Activities
- Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
- New Annual Report Now Available
- Sadako Peace Day
- Peace Literacy Brings Realistic Hope to Minneapolis
- Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
- Letter in the Los Angeles Times
Take Action
- Stop This Crime Against Humanity
Quotes
Perspectives
Time for Transition
After serving for 37 years as the founding president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, I will be transitioning to a new role, that of president emeritus, at the end of 2019. Rick Wayman, with whom I’ve worked closely for the past 12 years, will take over as the new CEO of the Foundation. Rick will be bringing to the position deep knowledge about nuclear issues and a strong commitment to abolishing nuclear weapons, along with great energy, leadership skills, and a connection to today’s younger generation. I feel confident that I will be leaving the Foundation in very good hands.
When we founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation nearly four decades ago, we did it with a hope and a dream. We knew the Foundation was needed, but we didn’t know if it could survive in an atmosphere of ignorance and apathy. Yet, here we are, still fighting for an ethical and peaceful future.
To read more, click here.
The Technological Imperative for Ethical Evolution
Almost overnight, the Manhattan Project transformed ethical decision making from a purely moral concern into one that is essential for the survival of civilization. In the words of Albert Einstein, “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.”
Environmental crises such as climate change, along with recent technological breakthroughs in genetic engineering, AI, and cyber-technology are adding to the technological imperative for accelerating humanity’s ethical evolution.
To read Martin Hellman’s full lecture at the annual meeting of Nobel laureates in Lindau, Germany, click here.
Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Dismiss the Trump-Kim Meetings
When President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un met at the Demilitarized Zone last month, and Trump became the first U.S. president to take steps in North Korea, the overwhelming response was cynicism.
Believe us, we know that the continuing saga between the United States and North Korea is confusing and complicated. We understand the temptation to get caught up in — and be skeptical of — the theatrics. But in our work as activists and academics, we’ve all been to the Demilitarized Zone, met North Korean women and immersed ourselves deeply in this issue. And, at this critical moment, we implore you all to remember that what happens next is bigger than either Trump or Kim.
To read the full op-ed in Time Magazine, click here.
A Conversation With David Krieger
Who were the biggest influences on your life? Is there any one particular person who stands out as the most influential person?
There were many people who exerted influence on my life, but three women stand out: my mother, my wife and the woman I worked for and with at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. My mother believed that I could do whatever I set my mind on doing, and she made possible my first trip to Japan. My wife, Carolee, stood by me through the uncertainty of my refusing to participate in the Vietnam War and the uncertainty of creating and developing the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Elisabeth Mann Borgese showed me the possibility of following one’s dreams to create a better world. In her case, it was the dream of peace through harmonizing the functional uses of the oceans in a much needed new law of the sea. She saw the oceans as the “common heritage of mankind,” and believed that just as life began in the oceans and then came onto the land, a new law of the seas would spark a new international law for humankind.
To read more, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
Trump Administration has Gutted Budgets for Nuclear Terrorism Prevention
Over the past two years, the Department of Homeland Security has quietly been cutting the budgets of programs put in place after 9/11 to prevent terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, these changes were made without any review of potential security vulnerabilities.
More than 30 current and former employees and contractors at DHS have warned that these changes put Americans at greater risk. The agency’s only response is that the changes are aimed at “remov[ing] bureaucratic redundancy” and are intended to “align with [Trump’s] National Security Strategy.”
David Willman, “Trump administration has gutted programs aimed at detecting weapons of mass destruction” Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2019.
NATO Document Reveals Location of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
Although it is an open secret that the United States deploys nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey under the auspices of NATO, the precise locations of the weapons are rarely discussed by governments.
A recently-published document attributed to Canadian Senator Joseph Day said that U.S. nuclear gravity bombs “are stored at six U.S. and European bases: Kleine Brogel in Belgium; Büchel in Germany; Aviano and Ghedi-Torre in Italy; Volkel in The Netherlands; and Incirlik in Turkey.” This passage has since been edited out of the document.
Brendan Cole, “Where Are U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stored in Europe?” Newsweek, July 17, 2019.
Trump Adviser Pushed Saudi Nuclear Deal as He Sought Administration Role
Top Trump campaign fundraiser Tom Barrack is said to have pushed for a deal that would supply reactors to Saudi Arabia early on in the Trump Administration. This push came concurrently with Barrack lobbying for a position as the Trump Administration’s special envoy to the Middle East. Barrack’s own private equity firm would have been one of the companies involved in the process if approved by Congress.
This report comes as part of a larger investigation by House Democrats into the complex relationship between Trump’s inner circle and foreign business interests and opportunities. Another company well-positioned to bid on the prospective Saudi reactor contract was IP3 International, a conglomerate of U.S. companies that listed ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as a key adviser.
Sharon LaFranier, “Trump Adviser Pursued Saudi Nuclear Deal as He Sought Administration Role” The New York Times, July 29, 2019
Nuclear Testing
Marshall Islands Still Ten Times More Radioactive than Chernobyl
Surveys conducted on the soil of Bikini and Enewetak Atolls found concentrations of plutonium-239 and plutonium-240 almost ten times higher than in the soil of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Gamma radiation levels are also higher than previously reported on Bikini, Enewetak, and Rongelap Atolls.
These on-site measurements contradict official estimates of radiation levels based on calculations taken in the past. Another area of critical concern is “The Dome” on Runit Island, a 100-meter-wide crater filled with debris and sealed with concrete. The dome sits on permeable rock and is leaking radioactive material into the surrounding ocean.
David Bressan, “After 61 Years, U.S. Testing Site For Nuclear Weapons Still 10 Times More Radioactive Than Chernobyl” Forbes, July 25, 2019.
North Korea Hints it May Resume Nuclear Testing
North Korea has restarted missile testing and may resume nuclear testing amid tensions surrounding joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises on the peninsula. At their first meeting in Singapore last year, Trump committed to halting the yearly exercise as a sign of good faith to the Kim regime, but the U.S. and South Korea have shown no signs of slowing preparations for the yearly show of force.
North Korea last tested a long-range missile in November 2017. It tested two short-range missiles earlier this month, while its last nuclear test took place in September 2017. North Korea has long viewed the yearly joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
Min Joo Kim, “North Korea hints it may resume nuclear testing, accuses U.S. of reneging on pact” The Washington Post, July 16, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Talks Held in Vienna to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal
Amid tensions surrounding the U.S. exit from the deal, the seizing of tankers by both Iran and the U.K., and Iran’s acknowledgement of breaching production restrictions on enriched uranium, officials from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China have held “constructive” talks with representatives from Iran in Vienna.
The talks aim to stabilize the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action amidst a series of escalating tensions that began with the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.
“Talks Held in Vienna to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal” BBC News, July 28, 2019.
Nuclear Monitoring
Massive 2017 Radiation Leak Traced to Russia’s Mayak Complex
Experts claim the source of a continent-spanning cloud of radioactive material detected in 2017 has been isolated to Russia’s Mayak nuclear facility, which hosts both a civilian reactor and a uranium enrichment facility. Russia had previously denied that the cloud came from within its border, suggesting instead that the nuclear battery from a satellite burning during re-entry caused the contamination.
The Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Security in Paris, however, noted that the most probable location for the release was located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains in Russia, where Mayak is located. The release was puzzling to experts because it was limited solely to Ruthenium-106, while an event like a meltdown or explosion would have caused a release of multiple types of radioactive isotopes. It appears, however, that the release was related to an order of materials by an Italian nuclear facility from Mayak before the incident occurred.
Ruby Prosser Scully, “Gigantic, mysterious radiation leak traced to facility in Russia” New Scientist, July 29, 2019
Nuclear Close Calls
Russian Submarine Crew Dies Preventing Nuclear Accident on the Seafloor
Fourteen Russian submariners died on July 1st aboard a small nuclear-powered submarine in the Barents Sea attempting to combat a fire that could have destroyed the vessel – and contaminated the ocean bottom.
The sailors, most of them senior officers in the Russian Navy, prevented disaster by sealing themselves into the area of the sub that was aflame, protecting the rest of the crew and the sub’s nuclear reactor and propulsion systems from the fire.
Sean Gallagher, “Russian spy sub crew prevented nuclear accident at cost of their lives” Ars Technica, July 8, 2019.
Resources
Warheads to Windmills: How to Pay for a Green New Deal
The group NuclearBan.US has published a new report entitled “Warheads to Windmills: How to Pay for a Green New Deal.” The report outlines the many ways in which getting rid of nuclear weapons will help humanity to survive the existential threats that we face.
Paying for a Green New Deal is going to require money, skills, jobs, technological innovation, and infrastructure on an unprecedented scale. Eliminating nuclear weapons will free up a huge amount of resources, and will help to transform our relationship with the rest of the world.
To read a copy of the report, click here.
Foundation Activities
Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the Phronesis Lab at Oregon State University invite you to a three-day workshop from August 22-24, 2019 in Corvallis, Oregon.
The workshop is geared toward helping both employers and employees build the skills needed to develop more collaborative, empathy-driven workplaces. Our model combines West Point leadership training with the best practices in non-violence developed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. We use this unique formulation to help you diminish work-place tensions, promote productive communication, and understand the structural and interpersonal dynamics that can lead to harassment and bullying. We help you to re-imagine a workplace where people value each other and find more enjoyment in what they do.
For more information and to register, click here.
New Annual Report Now Available
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has published its 2018 annual report, providing a detailed overview of the Foundation’s programs and shining a light on David Krieger’s 37 years of leadership.
To read a copy of our annual report online, click here.
Peace Literacy Brings Realistic Hope to Minneapolis
In June 2019, NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell and Dr. Sharyn Clough, Peace Literacy Curriculum Coordinator, delivered a two-day workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Clough, Professor of Philosophy at Oregon State University, has systematized the curricular resources developed by educators across the U.S. and Canada inspired by Chappell’s groundbreaking ideas.
The response from the workshop has brought the type of hope that Chappell espouses, realistic hope—and something more: great excitement. While the Peace Circle initially hoped for 30-40 committed attendees, the training attracted 60 attendees committed to getting Peace Literacy into Twin Cities’ schools. Smaller teams plan to engage other churches and community groups, teacher training programs and political campaigns.
To read more about this workshop, click here.
Sadako Peace Day on August 6
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Sadako Peace Day commemoration will take place on August 6 at Westmont College in Montecito, California.
There will be music, poetry, and reflection in remembrance of the victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and of all innocent victims of war.
Click here to download a flyer with more information.
Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has partnered with Soka Gakkai International, the Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to organize a side event at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference, which will take place in Salt Lake City from August 26-28.
The theme of the UN conference revolves around Sustainable Development Goal 11: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
In our side event, we will be talking about two ways that cities have begun speaking out about the nuclear weapons threat: the Back from the Brink Campaign, and the ICAN Cities Appeal. We will also feature speakers from Salt Lake City, who will describe the process that their city went through to pass its resolution against nuclear weapons in April 2019.
Letter in the Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times published a letter to the editor written by Sandy Jones, NAPF’s Director of Communications. Her letter addressed the extensive radioactive mess the United States has left behind in the Marshall Islands.
Jones wrote, “We can never take it back — 67 nuclear weapons tests, performed on the beautiful Marshall Islands by the U.S. government from 1946-58.” She continued, “But we can learn. We can learn that the current U.S. plan to spend $1.7 trillion on its nuclear arsenal is flat out wrong. Imagine how far that money would go to making the world a better place.”
To read the full letter in the LA Times, click here.
Take Action
Stop This Crime Against Humanity
Twenty years ago, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation played a role in the effort to establish the International Criminal Court. Respect for international law has been at the forefront of our efforts for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons since NAPF was founded in 1982.
That’s why we are so shocked and outraged at the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum seekers and migrants at the nation’s southern border: family separation, deplorable conditions in detention centers, and even deaths of children and adults alike while in U.S. custody.
Ben Ferencz, a member of the NAPF Advisory Council and the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, called the Trump administration’s family separation policy “a crime against humanity.
Click here to write to your Senators and Representative and tell them that they must do everything in their power to stop these crimes from continuing.
Quotes
“We must learn the lessons of history, that we may learn to identify and avoid the paths that lead to war.”
— Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons carries a high risk for catastrophe. Is there a military justification for continuing to accept that risk? The answer is no.”
— Robert S. McNamara, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
“These [nuclear] bombs were bult as ‘weapons’ for ‘war,’ but their significance greatly transcends war and all its causes and outcomes. They grew out of history, yet they threaten to end history. They were made by men, yet they threaten to annihilate man. They are a pit into which the whole world can fall – a nemesis of all human intentions, actions, and hopes.”
— Jonathan Schell, The Fate of the Earth
Editorial Team
Alex Baldwin
David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman
-
Sunflower Newsletter: July 2019
Issue #264 – July 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life. 
Perspectives
- New Modes of Thinking by David Krieger
- Why We Brought Hammers to a Nuclear Fight by Patrick O’Neill
- U.S. Setting the Stage for War with Iran by Silvia De Michelis
- Yes, the Trump-Kim DMZ Meeting Was a Breakthrough – Here’s What Should Come Next by Christine Ahn
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- U.S. Drastically Understaffing Arms Control Office
- Plutonium Pit Plan Raises Questions
Nuclear Proliferation
- Nuclear-Armed Countries Upgrading Arsenals While Total Number of Weapons Decreases
Nuclear Disarmament
- U.S. Conference of Mayors Highlights Nuclear Disarmament
- Multiple Cities and States Support Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Insanity
- One-Third of U.S. Supports Nuclear War on North Korea, Knowing It Would Kill One Million
Nuclear Waste
- Nuclear Waste Storage Plan Draws Criticism
Resources
- This Summer in Nuclear Threat History
- Is Your Bank Financing Nuclear Weapons?
- Nuclear Weapons and the 2020 Presidential Candidates
Foundation Activities
- Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
- Peace Literacy and Alternatives to Violence
- Sadako Peace Day
Take Action
- Put a Formal End to the Korean War
Quotes
Perspectives
New Modes of Thinking
“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” ~Albert Einstein
This is a prescient warning to humanity from the greatest scientist of the 20th century, the individual who conceived of the enormous power that could be released from the atom.
What did Einstein mean?
To read more, click here.
Why We Brought Hammers to a Nuclear Fight
On April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination, I joined six other Catholic pacifists in an attempt to symbolically enflesh the prophet Isaiah’s command to “beat swords into plowshares.”
After cutting a lock, we entered Naval Station Kings Bay in St. Marys, GA with hammers, baby bottles of blood and crime scene tape to expose the horrific D-5 nuclear weapons aboard the Trident submarines that imperil life as we know it on Planet Earth.
We used high drama as a wake-up call to hopefully get people thinking about the fate of the earth and human survival. Never before has our world been more at risk of the prospect of nuclear war. The Doomsday Clock, maintained by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stands at two minutes to midnight.
To read the full op-ed in the Raleigh News & Observer, click here.
U.S. Setting the Stage for War with Iran
Three episodes [Iran shooting down a U.S. drone, and two attacks against oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman], which left no casualties, set into motion powerful forces within the Trump administration that have the apparent intention to wage war against Iran whilst lacking the support of provable hard evidence.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident concerning the explosion of part of the two oil tankers, the U.S. put forward a narrative depicting Iranians as “evil-doers” – George Bush’s favorite exploited expression in the run-up to the war against Iraq in 2003. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has defined these alleged Iranian attacks as “a clear threat to international peace and security.” This harkens back to when U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, lied about evidence of the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at the United Nations Security Council, and obtained the support the U.S. needed to pave the way to war.
To read more, click here.
Yes, the Trump-Kim DMZ Meeting Was a Breakthrough – Here’s What Should Come Next
President Donald Trump did what no sitting U.S. president has done: he crossed the demarcation line dividing the two Koreas at Panmunjom and set foot on North Korean soil. Not only that, he greeted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and together they traversed the cement border and met South Korean President Moon Jae In. Then, President Trump sat down with Kim for a 50-minute conversation in the Freedom House in South Korea.
It’s time to acknowledge that the root cause of the nuclear crisis is the continuing state of war between the United States and North Korea. The Korean War is not over: we have yet to replace the 1953 ceasefire with a formal peace agreement.
To read the full op-ed by NAPF Adviser Christine Ahn in Newsweek, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
U.S. Drastically Understaffing Arms Control Office
The U.S. Office of Strategic Stability and Deterrence Affairs has become critically understaffed during the first two years of the Trump presidency, with its staff decreasing from 14 to 4. The arms control office is tasked with negotiating and implementing nuclear disarmament treaties, and its main mission is to implement the remaining nuclear arms control agreements with Russia, namely New START.
The current situation leaves the State Department unequipped to pursue nuclear arms control negotiations prior to New START’s expiration date of February 21, 2021. If it is allowed to expire, the U.S. and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) would be without any type of formal arms control agreement for the first time since 1972.
Julian Borger, “U.S. Arms Control Office Critically Understaffed Under Trump, Experts Say,” The Guardian, July 1, 2019.
Plutonium Pit Plan Raises Questions
A proposal by the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand production of plutonium pits – the core of a nuclear weapon – at the Savannah River Site is drawing criticism from local watchdogs. Savannah River Site Watch claims that DOE’s pit production plan is “unfunded, unjustified, and unauthorized.”
SRS Watch spokesman Tom Clements said that pit production at the Savannah River Site would create more waste streams harmful to the area without doing anything to address the waste already stored at the site. The DOE is seeking public feedback for a federally mandated Environmental Impact Statement and said that they are following the guidelines laid out by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
Wes Cooper, “Proposed Plutonium Pit Expansion Raising Questions,” WJBF, June 27, 2019.
Nuclear Proliferation
Nuclear-Armed Countries Upgrading Arsenals While Total Number of Weapons Decreases
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) announced that all nuclear weapons-possessing states are continuing to upgrade their arsenals, despite overall reductions in total nuclear weapons worldwide. At the beginning of this year, the nine nuclear weapons states were estimated to possess approximately 13,865 nuclear weapons, down from SIPRI’s 2018 estimate of 14,465. Of the new total, 3,750 are currently deployed. Nearly 2,000 of the deployed nuclear weapons are kept on high alert.
This decrease can be largely attributed to continuing quantitative reductions by the U.S. and Russia, whose arsenals still account for over 90 percent of all nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Russia, along with the other nuclear-armed nations, are all engaged in qualitative upgrades of their arsenals.
Kelsey Reichmann, “Here’s How Many Nuclear Warheads Exist, and Which Countries Own Them,” Defense News, June 16, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
U.S. Conference of Mayors Highlights Nuclear Disarmament
On July 1, the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution calling on all U.S. presidential candidates to make their positions on nuclear weapons known, and to pledge U.S. global leadership in preventing nuclear war, returning to diplomacy, and negotiating the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima, spoke at the conference. He said, “As mayors, you are working every day for the well-being of your citizens, but all your efforts could be for naught if nuclear weapons are used again. I would also like to point out that, while every one of the nuclear-armed states is spending billions of dollars to modernize and upgrade their arsenals, that money could be much more productively spent to meet the needs of cities and the people who live in them.”
The full text of the resolution is available here.
Multiple Cities and States Support Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
In addition to the U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution summarized in the previous article, many cities and states have declared their support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Back from the Brink Campaign.
The Oregon State Legislature and the New Jersey General Assembly both passed resolutions. They were joined by numerous cities, including Santa Barbara (USA), Vancouver (Canada), and Edinburgh (Scotland).
Click the links for more information on the ICAN Cities Appeal and the Back from the Brink Campaign.
Nuclear Insanity
One-Third of US Supports Nuclear War on North Korea, Knowing It Would Kill One Million
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in collaboration with YouGov, published a survey showing that over one-third of the U.S. population would support a preemptive strike on North Korea, even knowing that the strike would be nuclear in nature and that over one million people would be killed.
One standout fact the survey noted was the difference between “preference” and “approval,” whereby respondents replaced their personal preferences with deference to the President. For example, while only 33 percent of respondents preferred a preemptive nuclear strike, 50 percent would approve of one if carried out.
Tom O’Connor, “One-Third of US Supports Nuclear War on North Korea, Knowing It Would Kill One Million, Report Shows,” Newsweek, June 24, 2019.
Nuclear Waste
Nuclear Waste Storage Plan Draws Criticism
Plans by New Jersey-based Holtec International to store nuclear waste in New Mexico are running into opposition from state officials. Rep. Deb Haaland wrote to both the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to voice her concerns.
Criticisms leveled against Holtec’s plan include the lack of funding for infrastructure improvements needed to safely transport and store the waste, with Haaland’s main concern being that existing rail lines in the state aren’t built to withstand the weight of the specially-reinforced drums that hold the waste. Haaland is also worried that the government’s history of inaction around nuclear waste could lead to New Mexico becoming a de facto permanent storage site. Holtec International is currently seeking a 40-year license from regulators to build a storage complex near Carlsbad.
Susan Montoya Bryan, “Nuclear Waste Storage Plan Draws Criticism,” Albuquerque Journal, June 21, 2019.
Resources
This Summer in Nuclear Threat History
History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the summer, including the September 18, 1980 incident in which a technician’s dropped wrench caused a massive explosion, leading to a nine-megaton W53 nuclear warhead being launched hundreds of feet out of its silo.
To read Mason’s full article, click here.
For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.
Is Your Bank Financing Nuclear Weapons?
Who is trying to profit from weapons of mass destruction? A new report from PAX entitled “Shorting Our Security – Financing the Companies that Make Nuclear Weapons” details which financial institutions are investing $748 billion in companies that produce nuclear weapons.
Is your bank on the list? If you don’t see your bank on the list, find out if it has a parent company that is. You can review the report and search for your bank’s name here.
Nuclear Weapons and the 2020 Presidential Candidates
The Union of Concerned Scientists has created a series of videos in which candidates running for U.S. President in 2020 discuss their views on nuclear weapons.
To see which candidates have commented, and to watch the videos, click here.
Foundation Activities
Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the Phronesis Lab at Oregon State University invite you to a three-day workshop in August 2019 in Corvallis, Oregon.
The workshop is geared toward helping both employers and employees build the skills needed to develop more collaborative, empathy-driven workplaces. Our model combines West Point leadership training with the best practices in non-violence developed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. We use this unique formulation to help you diminish work-place tensions, promote productive communication, and understand the structural and interpersonal dynamics that can lead to harassment and bullying. We help you to re-imagine a workplace where people value each other and find more enjoyment in what they do.
For more information and to register, click here.
Peace Literacy and Alternatives to Violence
On May 26, NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell gave the keynote address to more than 140 Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) volunteers, including training facilitators, at Mills College in Oakland, California.
Steven Gelb, professor at the University of San Diego and AVP workshop facilitator, reported, “[Paul’s] compellingly original synthesis of the role of meaning and purpose as foundational to both peace work and conflict was immensely helpful to this audience of experienced peace educators.”
Chappell explained that the frameworks of Peace Literacy offer a new understanding of aggression, rage, and trauma and how Peace Literacy skills can be used at school, at work, and with family, friends, and those we do not yet know. Peace Literacy also offers radical empathy, vision, and realistic hope.
To read more about Paul’s Work with the Alternatives to Violence Project, click here.
Sadako Peace Day on August 6
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Sadako Peace Day commemoration will take place on August 6 at Westmont College in Montecito, California.
There will be music, poetry, and reflection in remembrance of the victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and of all innocent victims of war.
Click here to download a flyer with more information.
Take Action
Put a Formal End to the Korean War
The Korean War was paused in 1953 with an Armistice Agreement. Today, over 65 years later, there is still no peace treaty putting a formal end to this war.
A resolution authored by Rep. Ro Khanna aims to change this. The resolution, H.Res. 152, calls upon the United States to formally declare an end to the war and would affirm that the United States does not seek armed conflict with North Korea.
If you are in the United States, click here to encourage your Representative to co-sponsor the resolution.
Quotes
“The destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be contained in either space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystem of the planet.”
— The International Court of Justice, in its 1996 ruling on the illegality of nuclear weapons. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“If we are to bring together positive thinking that peace is a good thing that improves the quality of life, it will heal the division in the hearts of people who have been separated by different ideology and views.”
— South Korean President Moon Jae-in, speaking about his vision for building positive peace between North and South Korea.
“Let’s imagine a planet where we can all live in peace together and not be fretting about whether our rival has one more bomb – that can obliterate the world inside and out – than us.”
— Lila Woodard and Anne Arellano, teenage activists and performers with Le Petit Cirque, speaking at an event celebrating the city of Bergen, Norway passing a resolution supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Editorial Team
Alex Baldwin
Silvia De Michelis
David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman -
Sunflower Newsletter: June 2019
Issue #263 – June 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life. Perspectives
- Imagination and Nuclear Weapons by David Krieger
- There Is No Check on Trump’s Rage Going Nuclear by Anne Harrington and Cheryl Rofer
- I Oversaw the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry. Now I Think it Should Be Banned by Gregory Jaczko
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- U.S. Boycotts Conference on Disarmament
Nuclear Proliferation
- China Rules Out Joining U.S.-Russia Arms Control Deal
Nuclear Disarmament
- Poll: Most Americans Want to Stay in Arms Control Agreements
- More Cities and States Support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Insanity
- U.S. and North Korea Test Missiles Minutes Apart
- Ohio Middle School Closed Indefinitely After Enriched Uranium Found Inside
Nuclear Testing
- U.S. Radioactive Waste Dump in Marshall Islands Is Leaking
- France Acknowledges Polynesian Islands “Strong-Armed” into Nuclear Tests
Resources
- World Nuclear Stockpile
- Halt a March to War with Iran
Foundation Activities
- Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
- 2019 Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future
- 2019 Poetry Contest
- Sadako Peace Day
Take Action
- Sign the Petition to Dismiss Charges Against Nuclear Disarmament Activists
Quotes
Perspectives
Imagination and Nuclear Weapons
Einstein believed that knowledge is limited, but imagination is infinite.
Imagine the soul-crushing reality of a nuclear war, with billions of humans dead; in essence, a global Hiroshima, with soot from the destruction of cities blocking warming sunlight. There would be darkness everywhere, temperatures falling into a new ice age, with crop failures and mass starvation.
With nuclear weapons poised on hair-trigger alert and justified by the ever-shaky hypothesis that nuclear deterrence will be effective indefinitely, this should not be difficult to imagine.
In this sense, our imaginations can be great engines for change.
To read more, click here.
There Is No Check on Trump’s Rage Going Nuclear
As president of the United States, Trump has absolute authority to launch nuclear weapons—without anyone else’s consent. In the past, it was taken for granted that the president would follow an established protocol that included consultation with the military, his cabinet, and others before taking such a grave step, but Trump is not legally bound to these procedures. Presidential launch authority is a matter of directive and precedent rather than specific law.
To read the full piece in Foreign Policy, click here.
I Oversaw the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry. Now I Think it Should Be Banned
Two years into my term [as Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission], an earthquake and tsunami destroyed four nuclear reactors in Japan. I spent months reassuring the American public that nuclear energy, and the U.S. nuclear industry in particular, was safe. But by then, I was starting to doubt those claims myself.
Before the accident, it was easier to accept the industry’s potential risks, because nuclear power plants had kept many coal and gas plants from spewing air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air. Afterward, the falling cost of renewable power changed the calculus. Despite working in the industry for more than a decade, I now believe that nuclear power’s benefits are no longer enough to risk the welfare of people living near these plants.
To read the full op-ed in the Washington Post, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
U.S. Boycotts Conference on Disarmament
The United States walked out of the UN Conference on Disarmament on May 28 in protest of Venezuela assuming the rotating presidency of the forum. As Venezuela took up the one-month presidency, U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood left the session and announced a boycott while Venezuela’s ambassador Jorge Valero chairs it. Wood said that a representative of Venezuela’s “interim leader,” Juan Guaido, should assume the seat.
“U.S. Boycotts U.N. Arms Forum as Venezuela Takes Chair,” Reuters, May 28, 2019.
Nuclear Proliferation
China Rules Out Joining U.S.-Russia Arms Control Deal
China dismissed the possibility of entering into negotiations for a trilateral arms control deal alongside the United States and Russia, highlighting that the U.S. has failed to uphold its international commitments. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang warns of “growing instabilities and uncertainties in the field of international strategic security.”
In February, the White House withdrew from the 1987 intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty. Washington argued that Moscow’s Novator 9M729 missile violated the agreement’s restrictions, while Russian officials counterclaimed that the Pentagon’s own Aegis Ashore defense system in Eastern Europe violated the treaty. Though not a party to the agreement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang claimed the move could “trigger a series of adverse consequences.”
Tom O’Connor, “China ‘Will Never’ Join Arms Control Deal with U.S. and Russia, Says Donald Trump has Not Even Followed Past Agreements,” Newsweek, May 20, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Poll: Most Americans Want to Stay in Arms Control Agreements
A new poll suggests that the public favors a more constrained nuclear posture and is growing more skeptical of weapons that are in the U.S. arsenal already. A majority of respondents also favored restraining the President from launching a nuclear strike before seeking congressional approval.
Eighty percent of respondents – including 77 percent of Republicans – favor extending the New START Treaty beyond its 2021 expiration. Two-thirds of respondents, including most Republicans, said the U.S. should stay in the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. About 60 percent of respondents favored phasing out U.S. ICBMs. Seventy-five percent of respondents overall (including six in ten Republicans) supported legislation requiring that the President obtain permission from Congress before launching an attack.
Patrick Tucker, “Poll: Americans Want to Stay in Nuclear Arms Control Agreements,” Defense One, May 20, 2019.
More Cities and States Support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
In May, more progress was made with cities and states declaring their opposition to nuclear weapons and their support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Paris signed on to the ICAN Cities Appeal, joining other major world cities including Toronto, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Berlin, Geneva, and Washington, DC.
In the U.S., resolutions in support of the TPNW and supporting the five-point platform of the Back from the Brink campaign passed the Oregon Senate and the New Jersey Assembly.
To see the full list of cities that have signed the ICAN Cities Appeal, click here.
Nuclear Insanity
U.S. and North Korea Test Missiles Minutes Apart
On May 9, the U.S. and North Korea tested missiles within minutes of one another. The U.S. tested a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile and, on the same day, a Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile. North Korea tested short-range missiles.
Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “By testing ballistic missiles this month, both the U.S. and North Korea risk blowing up the delicate progress that has been achieved to date through diplomacy.” He continued, “Neither party is right in this chest-thumping exercise, particularly while there remains a possibility of diplomatically eliminating all nuclear threats on the Korean Peninsula and actually achieving peace in a conflict that has gone on for nearly seven decades.”
Tom O’Connor, “U.S. and North Korea Launch Missiles at Same Time: What They Have and Why They Should Stop,” Newsweek, May 9, 2019.
Ohio Middle School Closed Indefinitely After Enriched Uranium Found Inside
An Ohio middle school has closed for the remainder of the academic year after tests discovered traces of enriched uranium and neptunium-237 inside. While the source has not yet been identified, some locals have been quick to blame the nearby Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which previously produced enriched uranium, including weapons-grade uranium, for the U.S. government until 2001. Nearby homes and bodies of water have also tested positive for both enriched uranium and neptunium.
Anne White, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management division, which is in charge of cleaning up the Portsmouth site, resigned due to the scandal.
David Brennan, “Ohio School Closed After Enriched Uranium Discovered Inside,” Newsweek, May 14, 2019.
Nuclear Testing
U.S. Radioactive Waste Dump in the Marshall Islands Is Leaking
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that a concrete dome built to contain highly-radioactive waste from U.S. atomic bomb tests in the 1940s and 50s is leaking radioactive material into the Pacific Ocean. Guterres described the structure on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands as “a kind of coffin.”
The dome is cracking from years of exposure to the elements, and concerns abound that the dome could break apart if hit by a tropical cyclone. The U.S. has thus far refused any responsibility for the situation.
“The consequences of these [tests] have been quite dramatic, in relation to health, in relation to the poisoning of waters in some areas,” Guterres said.
“Nuclear ‘Coffin’ May Be Leaking Radioactive Material into Pacific Ocean, U.N. Chief Says,” CBS News, May 16, 2019.
France Acknowledges Polynesian Islands “Strong-Armed” into Nuclear Tests
France has officially acknowledged for the first time that French Polynesians did not willingly enter into an agreement to accept 193 nuclear tests over a 30-year period. France also admitted that it is responsible for compensating islanders for the illnesses caused by the fallout.
Henry Samuel, “France Acknowledges Polynesian Islands ‘Strong-Armed’ into Dangerous Nuclear Tests,” The Telegraph, May 24, 2019.
Resources
World Nuclear Stockpile
Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris of the Federation of American Scientists are the leading experts in estimating the size of global nuclear weapons inventories. Matt Korda is a new co-author of these reports, which are published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Nuclear Notebook. The authors estimate that there are currently 13,850 nuclear weapons in the world, with 92% in the arsenals of the U.S. and Russia.
To read more, click here.
Halt a March to War with Iran
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation joined 60 other U.S. organizations in signing a letter asking members of Congress to take decisive action to halt a march to war with Iran. The letter reads in part, “Congress cannot be complicit as the playbook for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is repeated before our eyes. The administration has increasingly politicized intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, and falsely asserts ties between Iran and al-Qaeda….The American people do not want another disastrous war of choice in the Middle East. Congress has the chance to stop a war before it starts. Please take action before it is too late.”
To read the full letter, click here.
Foundation Activities
Peace Literacy in the Workplace: Summer Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the Phronesis Lab at Oregon State University invite you to a three-day workshop in August 2019 in Corvallis, Oregon.
The workshop is geared toward helping both employers and employees build the skills needed to develop more collaborative, empathy-driven workplaces. Our model combines West Point leadership training with the best practices in non-violence developed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. We use this unique formulation to help you diminish work-place tensions, promote productive communication, and understand the structural and interpersonal dynamics that can lead to harassment and bullying. We help you re-imagine a workplace where people value each other and find more enjoyment in what they do.
Early-bird registration ends June 15, so register soon. More information is available here.
2019 Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future
On May 9, Elaine Scarry delivered the 18th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. Scarry teaches at Harvard University, where she is the Cabot Professor of
Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value. She lectures nationally and internationally on nuclear war, law, literature, and medicine. The title of her talk was “Thermonuclear Monarchy and a Sleeping Citizenry.”A video of Scarry’s important lecture is available at this link.
2019 Poetry Contest
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 2019 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards is accepting submissions through July 1. The contest encourages poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit.
The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under.
For more information on the contest, click here.
Sadako Peace Day on August 6
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Sadako Peace Day commemoration will take place on August 6 at Westmont College in Montecito, California.
There will be music, poetry, and reflection in remembrance of the victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and of all innocent victims of war.
Click here to download a flyer with more information.
Take Action
Sign the Petition to Dismiss Charges Against Nuclear Disarmament Activists
The Kings Bay Plowshares 7, a group of seven nuclear disarmament activists, engaged in a symbolic and nonviolent action at the Trident nuclear submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia on April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The activists now face 25 years in prison, and their trial is expected to begin soon.
Click here to add your name to the petition.
Quotes
“Only one individual is necessary to spread the leavening influence of ahimsa [nonviolence] in an office, a business, a school, or even a large institution.”
— Mohandas K. Gandhi. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“The real question is: How the hell do we get rid of these nuclear weapons that are threatening the entire planet? And I would be aggressive in doing that. Right now, we have a president who wants to spend more and more money on the military and more money on nuclear weapons. I want to see us not abrogate treaties with Iran or anyplace else, which have controlled the growth of nuclear weapons. I want to see us be aggressive in bringing the world together again to figure out how we can substantially not only reduce military spending worldwide, but how we can reduce the ongoing and long-term threat of nuclear weapons.”
— Sen. Bernie Sanders, responding to a question about whether he would be willing to use nuclear weapons if elected President.
“Most people assume that if something hasn’t happened, it won’t happen. But that is psychology, not reality. Some of those who have spent their careers managing U.S. nuclear weapons believe that we have been extraordinarily lucky that nuclear weapons have not been used since Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
— Zia Mian, Alan Robock, and Sharon Weiner, in an op-ed about the importance of the New Jersey Assembly passing a resolution against nuclear weapons.
Editorial Team
Alex Baldwin
David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman -
Sunflower Newsletter: May 2019
Issue #262
– May 2019
Peace begins with us. Make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life. Perspectives
- Participation in the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference by David Krieger
- The Madness of Nuclear Deterrence by Mikhail Gorbachev
- Moving the Nuclear Football, from 1946 to 2019 by Ray Acheson
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- Trump Administration Wants Heavy Revision of New START Treaty
- U.S. Launches Nuclear-Capable ICBM
- U.S. Refuses to Declassify Size of Current Nuclear Arsenal
Nuclear Disarmament
- Panama Ratifies the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Insanity
- UK Holds Thanksgiving Ceremony for Nuclear Weapons at Westminster Abbey
Resources
- Which Companies Are Building Nuclear Weapons?
- Toward a New Era of Peace and Disarmament: A People-Centered Approach
- World Military Spending Tops $1.8 Trillion
Foundation Activities
- 2019 Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future
- Peace Literacy and Virtual Reality
- 2019 Poetry Contest
- 2019 Video Contest Winners Announced
- The Truth-Teller: From the Pentagon Papers to the Doomsday Machine
Take Action
- Tell Congress to Embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Quotes
Perspectives
Participation in the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signatures in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Despite its name, the NPT sought not only to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, but also, in Article VI, called for good faith negotiations for an end to the nuclear arms race at an early date, for nuclear disarmament, and for general and complete disarmament. The treaty also had provisions for review conferences to be held at five-year intervals and for an extension conference to be held 25 years after the treaty entered into force. The purpose of the extension conference was for the parties to the treaty to decide by a majority vote whether the treaty should be extended indefinitely, for a period or periods of time, or not at all.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, as well as dozens of other civil society groups working on nuclear disarmament, took note of the general lack of effort and progress by the nuclear-armed parties to the treaty in fulfilling their Article VI nuclear disarmament obligations for good faith negotiations for ending the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament. Given this, these organizations favored some version of an extension for periods of time, and for the periodic extensions to be contingent upon clear progress toward nuclear disarmament made by the nuclear-armed parties to the treaty. We saw this as a unique opportunity to put pressure on the nuclear weapons states to fulfill their nuclear disarmament obligations under the treaty, rather than continuing indefinitely to ignore those obligations, as they had done for the first 25 years of the treaty’s existence.
To read more, click here.
The Madness of Nuclear Deterrence
“Deterrence cannot protect the world from a nuclear blunder or nuclear terrorism,” George Shultz, William Perry and Sam Nunn recently wrote. “Both become more likely when there is no sustained, meaningful dialogue between Washington and Moscow.” I agree with them about the urgent need for strategic engagement between the U.S. and Russia. I am also convinced that nuclear deterrence, instead of protecting the world, is keeping it in constant jeopardy.
To read the full op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, click here (paywall).
Moving the Nuclear Football, from 1946 to 2019
What does it mean to make a commitment? As one of arguably the most basic of human interactions, to most of the world’s population it entails an agreement, an obligation, or a duty; a dedication to follow through on a promised activity. But apparently this definition does not hold for the nuclear-armed states—the governments of which continue, year after year, review cycle after review cycle, to change the goalposts or to move the football (the nuclear football, if you will), like Lucy does with Charlie Brown.
Cartoons aside, the “commitments” made by the nuclear-armed states for the past 50 years have seriously suffered from lack of implementation and impressive backtracking. On the eve of the 2020 [NPT] Review Conference, one of the nuclear-armed states (the United States) has asserted that all of these past commitments are out of date and out of step with today’s “international security environment”—this apparently being a specific, discrete artifact that is unconnected from this state’s own behavior and entirely related to the poor behavior of others.
To read more, click here.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
Trump Administration Wants Heavy Revision of New START Treaty
The Trump Administration has stated that it is interested in renewing the New START Treaty with Russia, but only if there are significant revisions. Specifically, the administration has indicated that it wants a pact that China can join, and it also wants new types of weapons, such as Russia’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone, to be covered by the treaty.
Democrats have said that they are eager to preserve one of the last effective arms control treaties that exist, and are urging the Trump administration to do a straightforward five-year extension of the New START Treaty, which is currently set to expire in 2021.
“Those who are calling for bringing new kinds of weapons into the extension process or adding new parties like China are really talking about a new treaty,” said Joan Rohlfing, president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. “It’s disingenuous.”
Rachel Oswald, “Trump Wants to Renew and Revise a Key Russian Nuclear Weapons Treaty. It has Democrats Nervous,” Roll Call, May 6, 2019.
U.S. Launches Nuclear-Capable ICBM
On May 1, the United States conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On that day, Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, was in New York City taking part in the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference at the United Nations.
Wayman said, “Violating the Iran Deal. Withdrawing from the INF Treaty. The relative stability of the post-Cold War era is being systematically dismantled by the Trump administration. Testing an ICBM during the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference is a feather in the cap of those who despise international cooperation.”
Willis Jacobson, “Unarmed Minuteman III Missile Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base,” Santa Ynez Valley News, May 1, 2019.
U.S. Refuses to Declassify Size of Current Nuclear Arsenal
In a marked reverse from Obama-era policy, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has denied a request to declassify the current size of its nuclear arsenal. While there was no formal reason given, the DOD has been looking for greater transparency from China recently, and such a denial may be a “leveling” of the playing field, though the value of such a move is dubious. Despite this jockeying, the number of nuclear weapons has never really been a secret in the United States. Declassification simply allows officials to openly discuss the stockpile. The DOD’s reasoning remains unclear in light of these factors. Whether this is simply a knee-jerk reaction to Obama-era policy, or a sign of renewed secrecy about nuclear weapons remains to be seen.
Steven Aftergood, “Pentagon Blocks Declassification of 2018 Nuclear Stockpile,” Federation of American Scientists, April 17, 2019.
Nuclear Disarmament
Panama Ratifies the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
On April 11, Panama ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, becoming the 23rd nation to ratify the treaty. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after the 50th nation ratifies it.
Click here for an updated list of which countries have signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Nuclear Insanity
UK Holds Thanksgiving Ceremony for Nuclear Weapons at Westminster Abbey
On May 3, Westminster Abbey hosted a service of thanksgiving to mark 50 years of the UK possessing a continuous at-sea nuclear weapons system. Prince William was among the guests who gathered in the famous church to celebrate the possession of nuclear weapons.
Kate Hudson, General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “It was truly sickening to hear Westminster Abbey’s bells played like wedding bells as guests left the nuclear weapons thanksgiving service. We hope government and church learn from today and that we never see a repeat of such an inappropriate event. Instead, every level of the church, government and society should be engaged in efforts to de-escalate nuclear tensions that are rising by the day. We must all work together towards a nuclear weapon-free world.”
“500 Protest Westminster Abbey Nuclear Weapons Thanksgiving,” Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, May 3, 2019.
Resources
Which Companies Are Building Nuclear Weapons?
A new report by PAX has found that nuclear-armed governments have at least $116 billion in contracts with private companies to build nuclear weapons. Large corporations like Honeywell International, General Dynamics, and Jacobs Engineering have all been directly involved in the nuclear weapons industry and have heightened the risk that weapons of mass destruction will be used again.
A majority of the 28 companies listed in the report have contracts with the U.S., and some companies have France, India, the UK, and China as clients. The report also contains information about the development of new hypersonic submarine-launched ballistic missiles in various countries. The new contracts, types of weapons, and allocations of resources in the report shows that a new nuclear arms race is happening.
To read a copy of the report, click here.
Toward a New Era of Peace and Disarmament: A People-Centered Approach
Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International, has published his 37th annual peace proposal, entitled “Toward a New Era of Peace and Disarmament: A People-Centered Approach.”
This year’s main theme is the need to increase momentum toward disarmament. Mr. Ikeda urges more nations to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and calls for a fourth special session of the UN General Assembly devoted to disarmament to be held in 2021. He also proposes the establishment of a legally-binding instrument that prohibits all lethal autonomous weapon systems.
Mr. Ikeda wrote, “The darker the night, the closer the dawn: now is the time to accelerate momentum toward disarmament by taking the present crises as an opportunity to create a new history.”
To read the full proposal, click here.
World Military Spending Tops $1.8 Trillion
A new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that in 2018, the nations of the world spent over $1.8 trillion on its militaries. The United States remained by far the top military spender, at 36% of the world’s total ($649 billion). China was the second-largest spender, at $250 billion.
To read the full report from SIPRI, click here.
Foundation Activities
2019 Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future
The 18th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future will take
place on Thursday, May 9, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Karpeles
Manuscript Library in Santa Barbara, California.This year’s speaker is Elaine Scarry. Scarry
teaches at Harvard University, where she is the Cabot Professor of
Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value. She lectures nationally and
internationally on nuclear war, law, literature, and medicine. The title
of her talk is “Thermonuclear Monarchy and a Sleeping Citizenry.”The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
Peace Literacy and Virtual Reality
NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell’s recent community event at the Red Skelton Theater in Vincennes, Indiana led to an article in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial on his talk regarding our human needs and the coming Virtual Reality revolution.
For more info on Chappell’s insights into social media, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, download Chappell’s pamphlet on “The World of Electric Light: Understanding the Seductive Glow of Screens.”
2019 Poetry Contest
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 2019 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards is accepting submissions through July 1. The contest encourages poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit.
The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under.For more information on the contest, click here.
2019 Video Contest Winners Announced
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has announced the winners of the 2019 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. This year’s winning video is entitled “Hard to Imagine” by Noah Roth. To watch the winning video, as well as the other prize winners, click here.
The Truth-Teller: From the Pentagon Papers to the Doomsday Machine
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has republished an interview with NAPF Distinguished Fellow Daniel Ellsberg. The interview for the Great Transition Initiative gave Ellsberg an opportunity to talk about his motivations for releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971, as well as his recent book about nuclear weapons, The Doomsday Machine.
To read the full interview, click here.
Take Action
Tell Congress to Embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Representatives Jim McGovern and Earl Blumenauer have introduced H. Res. 302, a resolution that embraces the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
This resolution in the House of Representatives follows on the heels of successful resolutions in the state of California, and the cities of Los Angeles, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and many others. This is the first resolution on the national level that calls on the United States to embrace this vital new treaty, and to make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of national security policy.
Click here to ask your representative to sign on to this resolution.
Quotes
“Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment…but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
— Howard Zinn. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
“The prospect of the use of nuclear weapons is higher than it has been in generations.”
— Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, speaking at the United Nations Security Council in April.
“Nuclear deterrence is not a policy that guarantees the absence of war but rather the absence of trust.”
— H.E. Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United Nations in New York, speaking on April 30 at the Non-Proliferation Treaty PrepCom.
Editorial Team
David Krieger
Louisa Kwon
Colin Scharff
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman -
Winning Videos: 2019 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest
Congratulations to everyone who entered the 2019 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. We are inspired by your ideas and your passion!
For more information about the contest, visit peacecontests.org.
FIRST PRIZE: Hard to Imagine by Noah Roth
SECOND PRIZE: Securing Nuclear Deterrence by Edward Zhang
THIRD PRIZE: White Light by Eduardo Castillo
HONORABLE MENTION: Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe by Maya Montell
HONORABLE MENTION: Our President Controlling Nuclear Power?? by Kenny Nguyen