Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Author: NAPF

  • Elaine Scarry Delivers the 2019 Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future

    Elaine Scarry Delivers the 2019 Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future

    The 18th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future took place on May 9, 2019 at the Karpeles Manuscript Library in Santa Barbara, California.

    This year’s speaker was 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.

    She has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Studies in Palo Alto, and the Getty Research Center in Los Angeles.

    Ms. Scarry has received the Truman Capote Award for literary criticism, and most recently, the Zabel Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for being a writer “of progressive, original, and experimental tendencies.”

    In her recent book, Thermonuclear Monarchy: Choosing Between Democracy and Doom, Scarry describes the alarming power of one leader to annihilate millions by launching nuclear weapons, arguing that this power is at odds with the principles of democracy.

    Ms. Scarry’s work could not be more relevant to the geopolitical climate of today.

    “I realized that nuclear war much more closely approximates the model of torture than the model of war because there’s zero consent from the many millions of people affected by it.”

    Frank K. Kelly

    The Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future was established by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 2002. The lecture series honors the vision and compassion of the late Frank K. Kelly, a founder and senior vice president of NAPF. Each year, a lecture is presented by a distinguished individual to explore humanity’s present circumstances and ways by which we can shape a more promising future for our planet and its inhabitants. For more information on the first 17 years of the Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future, click here.

  • U.S. to Launch Minuteman III Missile Test Days After Suspending Landmark Nuclear Weapons Treaty

    U.S. to Launch Minuteman III Missile Test Days After Suspending Landmark Nuclear Weapons Treaty

    For Immediate Release

    Contact: Sandy Jones  (805) 965-3443; sjones@napf.org

    Rick Wayman  (805) 696-5159; rwayman@napf.org

     

    Santa Barbara, CA – An unarmed Minuteman III ICBM missile test is scheduled for launch early  Wednesday morning, Feb. 6, from Vandenberg AFB. The missile will travel some 4,200 miles to a predetermined target in the central Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation stated, “The Marshall Islanders take the brunt of America’s nuclear testing program, and they have already suffered enough from such tests. It’s time for Americans to wake up. These tests don’t make us safer, they make the world more dangerous. Rather than continuing to test nuclear weapons, we should be leading negotiations to rid the world of these weapons of indiscriminate mass annihilation.”

    While Global Strike Command representatives assert that missile tests are scheduled months or years in advance, this test comes just four short days after the Trump administration suspended from the U.S. from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a crucial landmark Treaty between the U.S. and Russia that eliminated entire categories of nuclear weapons.

    Rick Wayman, Deputy Director at the Foundation commented on the approaching launch, saying “Just four days ago, the Trump administration suspended the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, one of the most important arms control treaties ever achieved between the United States and Russia. The very same week, both of these countries now appear set to test-launch Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. While ICBMs would not have violated the INF Treaty, it is alarming that this extraordinary tension is coming to a head with major nuclear-capable missile tests just hours or days apart.”

    Wayman went on to say, “The U.S. and Russia together possess over 90% of the approximately 14,500 nuclear weapons in the world. The Air Force always seeks to explain away ICBM tests as routine and disconnected from current geopolitical events. But there is nothing routine about rehearsing the annihilation of millions of people. President Trump’s reckless decision to torch the INF Treaty has put us all at even higher risk of nuclear catastrophe, and the United States’ ongoing testing of ICBMs must be viewed in this light.”

    Putting an end to the nuclear age need not be a partisan issue. The freshly-discarded INF Treaty was negotiated by President Reagan, who famously said, “Why wait until the end of the (20th) century for a world free of nuclear weapons?”

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    If you would like to interview David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, or Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Foundation, please call (805) 965-3443 or (805) 696-5159. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate, advocate and inspire action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit wagingpeace.org.

    Vandenberg AFB – Spaceflight Now

    spaceflightnow.com
  • Trump Withdraws U.S. from INF Treaty

    Trump Withdraws U.S. from INF Treaty

    NUCLEAR AGE PEACE FOUNDATION

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact: Sandy Jones  (805) 965-3443; sjones@napf.org

    Rick Wayman  (805) 696-5159; rwayman@napf.org

     

    The Trump administration announced that it will formally suspend the United States’ obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, effective February 2nd. This crucial treaty requires the United States and the former Soviet Union (now Russia) to eliminate all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.

    The INF Treaty was the first agreement between the two nuclear superpowers that eliminated entire categories of nuclear weapons. As a result of the INF Treaty, the U.S. and the Soviet Union destroyed a total of 2,692 missiles by the treaty deadline of June 1, 1991 (1,846 Soviet missiles and 846 U.S. missiles).

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, commented on the imminent withdrawal, saying, “This is a massive mistake. The withdrawal moves the world closer to sounding a death knell for humanity. Rather than withdrawing from the treaty, U.S. leaders should be meeting with the Russians to resolve alleged treaty violations. Rather than destroying arms control and disarmament agreements, the U.S. should be taking the lead in bolstering such agreements, including providing support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

    Since July 2014, the U.S. has alleged that Russia was in violation of its INF Treaty obligation not to “possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile having a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers” or “to possess or produce launchers of such missiles.” In late November 2017, a senior U.S. national security official stated that the Novator 9M729, a land-based cruise missile, was the weapon that the United States believed violates the INF Treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry asserts there is absolutely no evidence to support these claims.

    For its part, Russia alleges that the U.S. has violated the INF Treaty by deploying a component of a missile defense system — the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) — that is capable of launching offensive missiles. It also claims that the U.S. has used prohibited missiles in defense tests and that some U.S. armed drones are effectively unlawful cruise missiles. To date, the U.S. has not made public any evidence to disprove these claims.

    Where does this leave us should Trump go forward as planned with the withdrawal?

    It brings us to the brink of a new and dangerous arms race. Russia could move to deploy new short-range and intermediate-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles on its territory as well as on that of its allies, such as Belarus. If the U.S. were to respond with new intermediate-range missiles of its own, they would be based either in Europe or in Japan or South Korea to reach significant targets in Russia. This would spell the beginning of a new arms race in Europe on a class of especially high-risk nuclear weapons.

    The INF Treaty is just the latest treaty the Trump administration will have walked away from. He has been systematically undermining the longstanding framework of European and global security. He has withdrawn the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Agreement) and The Paris Accord (on climate change). He has also contemplated withdrawing the U.S. from NATO.

    Krieger went on to say, “The country would be well-served to look at what Trump is doing with regard to withdrawing from the INF treaty, and do the opposite – that is, strengthening the treaty and building upon it.”

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    If you would like to interview David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, or Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Foundation, please call (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate, advocate and inspire action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit wagingpeace.org.

  • 2019 Communications Intern

    2019 Communications Intern

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is hiring a Communications Intern for Summer 2019.

    Interns will join our dedicated team of seven staff at our Santa Barbara headquarters to work on meaningful projects that advance our mission of educating, advocating, and inspiring action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons.

    We don’t expect our interns to have detailed knowledge of the physics behind nuclear weapons, nor to have years of relevant work experience. What we are looking for are highly-motivated, enthusiastic individuals who are dedicated to our mission and who want to make a real, lasting difference in the world.

    Our Communications Intern will assist in the Foundation’s marketing, branding, and communications efforts. Reporting to Sandy Jones, NAPF Director of Communications, the intern will be adept at effective messaging across multiple platforms, and a creative thinker that will assist in tackling one of humanity’s most pressing existential threats.

    Projects will include:

    • Monitoring and analyzing NAPF’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram;
    • Managing the Foundation’s use of Google AdWords;
    • Participating in different styles of communications, including email, video, in-person, and more;
    • Contributing research, writing, and other content to special campaigns, such as Women Waging Peace.

    Skills/Qualifications:

    • Strong writer, not just in the academic sense, but also in the human sense;
    • A thorough researcher;
    • Social media savvy;
    • Self-motivated to run with a project, taking something from start to finish;
    • A strategic thinker, from a broad, bird’s eye view to down in the weeds.

    For more details on our internship program and for application instructions, visit our Paid Internships page.

    You can also view the position descriptions for our other summer internships:

    Fundraising/Development Intern

    Research/Writing Intern

    Peace Literacy Intern

  • 2019 Fundraising and Development Intern

    2019 Fundraising and Development Intern

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is hiring a Fundraising and Development Intern for Summer 2019.

    Interns will join our dedicated team of seven staff at our Santa Barbara headquarters to work on meaningful projects that advance our mission of educating, advocating, and inspiring action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons.

    We don’t expect our interns to have detailed knowledge of the physics behind nuclear weapons, nor to have years of relevant work experience. What we are looking for are highly-motivated, enthusiastic individuals who are dedicated to our mission and who want to make a real, lasting difference in the world.

    Our Development & Fundraising Intern will assist in raising funds for the Foundation’s projects and daily functions. It’s ideal in development to be a people-person who can communicate clearly and comfortably with people of many backgrounds. We highly value collaboration at NAPF, and this intern will work closely with the Director of Development on a day-to-day basis.

    Projects will include:

    • Writing concisely and creatively: Helping to write appeal letters and grant applications;
    • Researching strategically: Interviewing donors and researching potential funding sources;
    • Planning and organizing: Helping to plan a summer party in Santa Barbara and our 36th Annual Evening for Peace;
    • Being a supporter extraordinaire: helping with more routine tasks such as mailing letters and logging donor info into our fundraising database.

    Skills/Qualifications:

    • Studying marketing, communication, or business a plus;
    • Ability to write clearly and persuasively is essential;
    • Self-motivation, organization, and the ability to stick to deadlines is essential;
    • Ability to take ownership of a project by thinking critically and independently, while also following instructions;
    • Experience with event planning, fundraising, or special project campaigns;
    • Comfort speaking with and relating to people in highly social situations.

    For more details on our internship program and for application instructions, visit our Paid Internships page.

    You can also view the position descriptions for our other summer internships:

    Research/Writing Intern

    Communications Intern

    Peace Literacy Intern

  • 2019 Research and Writing Intern

    2019 Research and Writing Intern

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is hiring a Research and Writing Intern for Summer 2019.

    Interns will join our dedicated team of seven staff at our Santa Barbara headquarters to work on meaningful projects that advance our mission of educating, advocating, and inspiring action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons.

    We don’t expect our interns to have detailed knowledge of the physics behind nuclear weapons, nor to have years of relevant work experience. What we are looking for are highly-motivated, enthusiastic individuals who are dedicated to our mission and who want to make a real, lasting difference in the world.

    Our Research & Writing Intern will assist NAPF staff members – primarily President David Krieger and Deputy Director Rick Wayman – in research and writing on key issues related to nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament. The Research & Writing Intern will also be encouraged to pursue self-directed projects that contribute to the Foundation’s goals.

    Projects will include:

    • Writing articles for the Sunflower Newsletter;
    • Writing articles for wagingpeace,org and other publications;
    • Monitor relevant policy, current events, and legislative developments;
    • Updating the content on nuclearfiles.org;
    • Reviewing new articles and books.

    Skills/Qualifications:

    • Exemplary analytical and writing skills;
    • Understanding of international law and international disarmament processes;
    • Ability to meet deadlines;
    • Self-directed and highly motivated.

    For more details on our internship program and for application instructions, visit our Paid Internships page.

    You can also view the position descriptions for our other summer internships:

    Fundraising/Development Intern

    Communications Intern

    Peace Literacy Intern

  • 2018 Peace Poetry Award Winners Announced

    2018 Peace Poetry Award Winners Announced

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CONTACT:
    Carol Warner, Poetry Award Coordinator
    (805) 965-3443
    cwarner@napf.org

    Santa Barbara, CA (October 20, 2018) – The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Since 1995, the Foundation has held an annual contest to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The poetry awards are given in three categories: Adult; Ages 13 through 18; and Ages 12 and under.

    In the Adult category, Carla S. Schick was awarded First Place for her poem “When Birds Migrate, They Follow Nature.” A retired public school teacher, Ms. Schick is a queer social justice activist and poet living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works in her community in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Ms. Schick has been published in the Berkeley Times, Sinister Wisdom, The Peralta Press, Suisun Valley Review and Word Is Bond.

    An Honorable Mention in the Adult category was awarded to Madison Trice for her poem “Their Family Wore White.” Ms. Trice is a sophomore at Harvard University, studying Government and Near Eastern Studies. She is the Political Action Chair for the Association of Black Harvard Women. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, acting, knitting, reading, and hip-hop.

    First Place in the 13 through 18 category was awarded to Stephanie Anujarerat for her poem “Sleeping, Over.” Ms. Anujarerat lives in Cerritos and is a senior at Whitney High School. Besides writing, she enjoys reading and discussing books. She loves learning about science and how it can be used to improve the world and is an active member of her school’s ecology club.

    An Honorable Mention in the 13 through 18 category was awarded to Emily Cho, who lives in Wilmette, Illinois, for her poem “The 38th.” Emily enjoys writing, especially poetry and fiction. She performs in musicals and plays and is also a member of her school’s tennis team. Emily co-founded her school’s Louder Than a Bomb Club.

    First Place in the 12 and under category was awarded to Milla Greek for her poem, “The Silence.” Milla attends the International School of Los Angeles, where she is on the debate team. She studies guitar and greatly enjoys reading literature.

    Barbara Mandigo Kelly, for whom the Peace poetry Awards are named, was a poet, pianist and peace advocate. To read the First Place and Honorable Mention poems, and for more information, please visit peacecontests.org or contact the Foundation at (805) 965-3443.

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    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization with consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Foundation’s mission is to educate, advocate and inspire action for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons. For more information about the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, visit www.wagingpeace.org. For more information on the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards, and to read the poems of current and past winners, visit peacecontests.org.

  • California Leads the Way in Support of Nuclear Disarmament

    California Leads the Way in Support of Nuclear Disarmament

    For Immediate Release
    Contact: Sandy Jones: (805) 965-3443; sjones@napf.org

    CALIFORNIA LEADS THE WAY IN SUPPORT OF NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

    State Legislature Passes Pro-Nuclear Disarmament Resolution

    Sacramento–Assembly Joint Resolution 33 (AJR 33), introduced by Santa Barbara’s State Assembly member, Monique Limón, passed in the state Senate today by a vote of 25 to 10. This marks a huge step forward in California’s support of nuclear disarmament and puts the state at the forefront of this critical issue.

    The resolution calls on federal leaders and our nation to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of our national security policy, and spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war. (More on the Treaty here.)

    Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit organization headquartered in Santa Barbara whose mission is to create a peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons, was asked by Limón to testify in support of the Resolution.

    Wayman spoke in front of the California State Assembly in Sacramento on August 14, saying, in part, “This resolution lays out some of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that could occur should nuclear weapons be used again. I have worked closely with people around the world deeply impacted by nuclear weapons development, testing, and use. Every one of them tells me the same thing: we must put an end to nuclear weapons so that no one ever suffers this same fate.”

    Wayman continued, “California, followed by the entire United States, must get on the right side of history. But more importantly, we must do everything in our power to eliminate nuclear weapons before they eliminate us.” (Read Wayman’s remarks here.)

    Currently, the U.S. government has a $717 billion military budget and a plan to spend $1.7 trillion on nuclear weapons over the next 30 years. That’s why it’s so important for California and other states (and cities) around the country to speak out. Imagine what could be done to make the world a better place by diverting even part of that money to productive, not destructive purposes.

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    If you would like to interview Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Deputy Director, please call the Foundation at (805) 965-3443 or (805) 696-5159;  A photo of Wayman at the State Capitol is below.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit wagingpeace.org.

     

     

     

     

  • Minuteman III Missile Test Launched from Vandenberg

    Minuteman III Missile Test Launched from Vandenberg

    For Immediate Release

    Contact:
    Sandy Jones: (805) 965-3443; sjones@napf.org
    Rick Wayman: (805) 696-5159; rwayman@napf.org

     

    Minuteman III Missile Test Launched from Vandenberg Early Tuesday Morning

    Less than two months ago, U.S. and North Korea held a summit, jointly committing to North Korea’s denuclearization. What kind of message does missile test send?

    Vandenberg–The U.S. is scheduled to test a Minuteman III Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying a mock nuclear warhead early Tuesday morning between 12:01 a.m. and 6:01 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California. This particular test is just a month-and-half after the high-stakes summit between the U.S. and North Korea, in which Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a vaguely-worded statement, agreeing to  “work toward complete denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.”

    What kind of message is the U.S. sending to North Korea with this missile test? Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, noted, “This is the same class of missiles for which the U.S. has been highly critical of the North Koreans for developing and testing. How can the United States demand North Korea’s good faith on denuclearization while the U.S. continues its own ICBM testing? The hypocrisy is nothing new, but what stands out with this test is the potential for blowing up the peace process underway with North Korea.”

    It is widely recognized that the path to North Korean denuclearization will be anything but smooth. In fact, after Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, went to Pyongyang to continue negotiations after the June summit, North Korea criticized the U.S. for having a stance that was “… regrettable, gangster-like and cancerous.”

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, commented, “With its continuing missile tests, the U.S. is itself doing what it seeks to stop other countries from doing. If the U.S. were serious about achieving global denuclearization, it would be showing leadership toward that end. Instead, it continues to test its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles. Hypocrisy will never achieve the desired goal of a nuclear weapons-free world.”                                           

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    If you would like to interview David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation or Rick Wayman, Deputy Director, please call the Foundation at (805) 965-3443. 

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit wagingpeace.org.

  • Press Availability: Interviews and Comments on June 12 Trump-Kim Summit

    Press Availability: Interviews and Comments on June 12 Trump-Kim Summit

    The stakes couldn’t be higher for the historic, June 12 U.S.– North Korea summit with President Trump and Kim Jung-un. There is much uncertainty surrounding the meeting and the issues on the table are complex.

    We at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation are available to you for comment and interviews before, during and after the summit. Our thirty-six years of in-depth expertise on all issues regarding nuclear weapons gives us insight and perspective few other organizations have.

    • We’re part of ICAN, the current Nobel Peace Prize winner.
    • We played an integral role at the United Nations in the negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
    • We welcome good faith dialogue that lessens nuclear dangers and could lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons.
    • We oppose the absolutist position of hawks like National Security Adviser John Bolton and numerous Senate Democrats, who are demanding absolute surrender and denuclearization by North Korea before the United States makes any compromises.
    • We support a peace treaty to finally end the 7-decades-old Korean War.
    • Nuclear weapons are unacceptable in any hands and under all circumstances. This summit could lead to progress, which we welcome, but the summit is often cast in a way that legitimizes the United States’ ongoing possession and development of nuclear weapons.
    • North and South Korea are sovereign nations with their own strong interests in achieving peace. The United States can be involved in the peace process where appropriate, but should largely stay out of the way for Koreans to make peace in Korea.

    Please call Rick Wayman at +1 805.696.5159 or Sandy Jones at +1 805.965.3443 for comment or interview.