Category: Events

The Reality of the Nuclear Age

by David Krieger

Anyone with a modicum of sense does not want to see the U.S. teeter at the brink of war with North Korea and certainly not inadvertently stumble over that brink, or intentionally jump. The first Korean War in the 1950s was costly in terms of lives and treasure. A second Korean War, with the possibility of nuclear weapons use, would be far more costly to both sides, and could lead to global nuclear conflagration.

Neither North Korea nor South Korea want a new war, but U.S. leadership in Washington is threatening war, with remarks such as “talking is not the answer”; North Korean threats “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen”; “military solutions are now in place, locked and loaded”; and “all options are on the table.” Such posturing has only elicited more nuclear and missile tests from North Korea.

To read more, click here.

Letter to UN Secretary-General

by Women Cross DMZ

In his first General Assembly address, President Trump threatened “to totally destroy North Korea” if the United States or its allies were attacked. As the world’s greatest military power, the United States is the only nation ever to use atomic bombs against a civilian population that annihilated a quarter million people in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We call on you, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, to counsel in the strongest of terms, the President of the United States and its Ambassador to the UN, that threats to destroy another country are unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the community of nations.

We must work to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide, including in India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and among all Permanent Members of the Security Council. We oppose North Korea’s increased militarization, including testing missiles and nuclear weapons, and threats to retaliate against the United States, its allies, and its territories where significant U.S. military bases are located. However, we understand North Korea’s fears of a U.S. pre-emptive strike. There is still no Peace Treaty ending the Korean War, during which the United States carpet-bombed 85 percent of North Korea. From 1950-53, four million people were killed, including a quarter of the North Korean population.

To read more, click here.

The North Korea Standoff Is Now as Bad as the Cuban Missile Crisis

by Daryl Kimball

The nuclear danger posed by North Korea is not new. For more than a decade, the Kim regime has possessed nuclear weapons and has been steadily pursuing the capability to develop compact warheads and longer-range missile systems.

But since the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, a bad situation has become far worse. North Korea has accelerated its missile testing and Trump has vowed a military attack against North Korea if it threatens the U.S. or its allies.

The risk of conflict through miscalculation by either side is now as severe as the tense days of October 1962, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union nearly went to war over the deployment of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Just as was the case in 1962, even a small action or wrong word could lead to war.

To read more, click here.

New Nuclear Posture Review Faces Delays

A self-imposed deadline of December 2017 is likely to be missed as staffing shortages at the State Department and Pentagon slow down work on the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).

Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza said that the NPR “will guide modernization efforts and establish U.S. nuclear deterrence policy, strategy, and posture for the next 5-10 years.” As part of the review, the Trump administration is also considering smaller, more tactical nuclear weapons that would cause less destruction than the current U.S. stockpile.

Paul McLeary, “With Pentagon, State Positions Vacant, Trump Nuclear Review Slows Down,” Foreign Policy, September 15, 2017.

Trump Threatens to Totally Destroy North Korea

On September 19 in a speech at the United Nations, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea, a UN member state with a population of 25 million. He said, “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”

Article 2(4) of the UN Charter states, “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.”

Jon Schwarz, “Donald Trump Used the United Nations to Threaten a Massive Violation of International Law,” The Intercept, September 20, 2017.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Opens for Signature

On September 20, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons opened for signature at the United Nations in New York. Fifty nations signed the treaty on the first day. Many more are expected to sign in the coming weeks.

The treaty prohibits nations from “undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons,” according to a U.N. press release.

James Dearie, “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Opens for Signature,” National Catholic Reporter, September 26, 2017.

First U.S. Bank Announces Policy Against Funding Nuclear Weapons

On September 20, New York-based Amalgamated Bank made an official statement against investing in nuclear weapons production. It is the first U.S. bank to do so, and the statement was the bank’s first public announcement on investment policy regarding weapons of any kind. The announcement coincided with the signing ceremony at the UN for the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

“First U.S. Bank Announces Public Position Against Nuclear Weapons,” ICAN, September 21, 2017.

How Many People Would Die in a War with North Korea?

House Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) have asked Defense Secretary James Mattis for estimated casualty totals in the event of war with North Korea. In the wake of the North Korean foreign minister’s statement that President Trump has made a “declaration of war,” the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees want to check the President’s unilateral dealings with North Korea, and have these casualty counts included in their briefings on the situation.

Congressman Lieu writes, “To be clear, we believe it is wrong to use military force without first exhausting all other options, including diplomacy. We also believe it would be unconstitutional for the administration to start a war with North Korea without congressional authorization.”

Defense Secretary James Mattis has said that war with North Korea would be “catastrophic” and that he has looked at military options that he claims would not put Seoul at risk.

Rebecca Kheel, “Dems Ask Mattis: How Many People Would Die in War with North Korea?” The Hill, September 26, 2017.

“The Man Who Saved the World” Dies at 77

On May 19, Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet lieutenant colonel for the Air Defense Forces during the Cold War, died at age 77 at his home in a suburb of Moscow. Petrov was the key actor in preventing the outbreak of an all-out nuclear war between the U.S. and USSR in 1983, when a Soviet system incorrectly signaled that the U.S. had launched 5 nuclear-armed ICBMs towards the Soviet Union.

Petrov’s job was to monitor this system and send the message up the chain of command if an attack was impending. However, when the system alarms went off on September 26, 1983, he correctly suspected it was a system malfunction and did not relay the message up the command chain. Had Petrov not had the composure and intuition to check for malfunctioning software, it is likely that this false alarm would have led to a Soviet counter-attack on the U.S., and ultimately to nuclear war.

Greg Myre, “Stanislav Petrov, ‘The Man Who Saved The World,’ Dies At 77,” NPR, September 18, 2017.

U.S. Navy Awards $5.1 Billion Contract for New Nuclear-Armed Submarine Development

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $5.1 billion contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat. The contract is for the design, completion, component and technology development and prototyping efforts for the Columbia Class Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs).  The work will also include United Kingdom unique efforts related to the Common Missile Compartment.

The U.S. plans to build 12 new Columbia-Class Submarines, each with 16 missile tubes, and the UK plans to build four nuclear-armed ballistic submarines, each with 12 missile tubes.

The nuclear-armed submarines are expected to remain in service through at least the 2070s.

“Navy $5 Billion Deal Builds New Nuclear-Armed Columbia-Class Sub,” Scout, September 21, 2017.

This Month 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 month of October, including the October 6, 1986 sinking of the Soviet K-219 nuclear-armed submarine in the Atlantic Ocean.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

SIPRI Yearbook Published

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading independent research institute on conflict, arms control and disarmament, has published its 2017 yearbook.

According to SIPRI, global inventories of nuclear weapons continue to decline in number due to reductions made by the U.S. and Russia. However, “both the USA and Russia have extensive and expensive programs under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems, and nuclear weapon production facilities,” and China, India, North Korea and Pakistan are thought to be expanding the size of their nuclear arsenals. In addition, SIPRI reports that there is inadequate transparency in the reporting of nuclear arsenal size and capability from most nuclear states, particularly Russia, China, North Korea, India, and Pakistan.

For more information on this year’s SIPRI report, click here.

Britain’s H-Bomb Tests in the Pacific

Grappling with the Bomb is a history of Britain’s 1950s program to test the hydrogen bomb, code name Operation Grapple. In 1957–58, nine atmospheric nuclear tests were held at Malden Island and Christmas Island in the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony — today, part of the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Nearly 14,000 British troops travelled to the central Pacific for Operation Grapple. They were joined by hundreds of New Zealand sailors, Gilbertese laborers and Fijian troops. Today, decades later, survivors suffer from serious illnesses they attribute to exposure to hazardous levels of ionizing radiation.

On the 60th anniversary of the tests, Nic Maclellan’s book details regional opposition to Britain’s testing program in the 1950s, with protests from Fiji, Cook Islands, Western Samoa, Japan and other nations.

You can purchase a copy or download a free e-book from the ANU Press website.

A Teacher’s Guide to Peace Literacy

Peace literacy is an idea created by NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell, a West Point graduate, former Army captain, and Iraq war veteran who grew up in a violent household and struggled with trauma throughout his school years. Realizing that humanity is facing new challenges that require us to become as well-trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war, he created peace literacy to help students and adults from various backgrounds work toward their full potential and a more peaceful world.

Peace literacy frames peace not merely as a goal, but as a practical skill-set that allows us to increase realistic peace in our lives, communities, nations, and the world. Peace literacy also helps us fully develop our human capacity for empathy, conscience, and reason.

To read more about this movement, click here.

Evening for Peace: A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 34th Annual Evening for Peace will take place on Sunday, October 22, in Santa Barbara, California. The theme of this year’s event is “A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World.” The Foundation will honor Dr. Ira Helfand and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War with its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award.

For more information, including sponsorship opportunities and tickets, click here.

NAPF Invited to Participate in Vatican Nuclear Disarmament Conference

Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs, will participate in a nuclear disarmament conference at the Vatican on November 10-11. The conference, entitled “Perspectives for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament,” will feature an audience with Pope Francis, as well as talks by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and many Nobel Peace Laureates.

More information will be published in the December issue of The Sunflower. This trip would not be possible without the generous support of our worldwide NAPF family. To support the costs of this important opportunity, click here.

Poetry Contest Winners Announced

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has announced the winners of its 2017 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Nearly 200 people entered the contest, submitting original poems illuminating their positive visions of peace.

The winning poem in the adult category is entitled “Manchester,” by Nicole Melanson. To read all of the winning poems, click here. For more information about the contest, click here.

No Money for New Nuclear Weapons or Testing

The United States detonated 1,032 nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, under the ocean, and underground between 1945 and 1992 that devastated local communities. Though the U.S. has not conducted a full-scale underground nuclear test in 25 years, resurgent nuclear threats are gaining intensity in the Trump administration. Neocons, nuclear lab managers, and others are urging Trump to hit the accelerator on new nuclear warheads and the underground explosions needed to test them.

Public pressure from ordinary Americans was essential in halting explosive U.S. nuclear testing in the atmosphere and underground 25 years ago. We must act now to halt funding for a new arms race.

Join us as we urge White House Budget Office Director, Mick Mulvaney, and the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees of the U.S. Congress not to fund programs that may lead to resumption of nuclear test explosions or new nuclear weapons. Click here to take action.

Prevent the First Use of Nuclear Weapons

At the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, we are working tirelessly not only for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, but also in the meantime to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used. The humanitarian consequences of any nuclear weapons use would be unacceptable. The conflict between the United States and North Korea gives new urgency to bills currently in the House and Senate.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) have introduced bills in the House and Senate to reduce the likelihood of the United States using nuclear weapons first in a conflict. The bills would prohibit the President of the United States from launching a nuclear first strike without an explicit declaration by Congress.

Of course, we believe strongly that nuclear weapons should never be used under any circumstances. This bill would not legislate that, but it would make it much more difficult for the President to use nuclear weapons, which we believe is a move in the right direction.

Please write your Representative and Senators today and ask them to sign on to H.R. 669 in the House or S.200 in the Senate. Click here to take action.

“There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.”

— Elise Boulding. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action. The revised 4th edition of this book has just been published. Order copies today in the NAPF Peace Store at a 25% discount.

“Together with China we’ll continue to strive for a reasonable approach and not an emotional one like when children in a kindergarten start fighting and no one can stop them.”

— Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia. Lavrov was referring to a proposal supported by Russia and China that would involve North Korea freezing its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

“Let us commit ourselves to a world without nuclear weapons by implementing the Non-Proliferation Treaty to abolish these weapons of death.”

— A tweet by Pope Francis on September 26, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

“Our federations, representing millions of doctors, nurses, and public health professionals around the world, welcome this treaty as a significant forward step toward eliminating the most destructive weapons ever created, and the existential threat nuclear war poses to humanity and to the survival of all life on Earth.”

— Joint statement by the World Medical Association, International Council of Nurses, World Federation of Public Health Associations, and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The statement urges all countries to quickly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Joy Ferguson
David Krieger
Aidan Powers-Riggs
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

What Factors Make Nuclear War More Likely?

by David Krieger

We know that the risk of nuclear war is not zero. Humans are not capable of creating foolproof systems. Nuclear weapons systems are particularly problematic since the possession of nuclear weapons carries an implicit threat of use under certain circumstances. In accord with nuclear deterrence theory, a country threatens to use nuclear weapons, believing that it will prevent the use of nuclear weapons against it.

Nearly 15,000 nuclear weapons are currently under the control of nine countries. Each has a complex system of command and control with many possibilities for error, accident or intentional use.

Given the catastrophic consequences of nuclear war, including destruction of civilization and human extinction, identifying and eliminating the factors making nuclear war likely or even possible is imperative. There are simply too many possibilities for failure in such a complex system of interactions.

To read more, click here.

2017 Hiroshima Peace Declaration

by Mayor Kazumi Matsui

On August 6, at 8:15 a.m., absolute evil was unleashed in the sky over Hiroshima. Let’s imagine for a moment what happened under that roiling mushroom cloud. Pika—the penetrating flash, extreme radiation and heat. Don—the earth-shattering roar and blast. As the blackness lifts, the scenes emerging into view reveal countless scattered corpses charred beyond recognition even as man or woman. Stepping between the corpses, badly burned, nearly naked figures with blackened faces, singed hair, and tattered, dangling skin wander through spreading flames, looking for water. The rivers in front of you are filled with bodies; the riverbanks so crowded with burnt, half-naked victims you have no place to step. This is truly hell. Under that mushroom cloud, the absolutely evil atomic bomb brought gruesome death to vast numbers of innocent civilians and left those it didn’t kill with deep physical and emotional scars, including the aftereffects of radiation and endless health fears. Giving rise to social discrimination and prejudice, it devastated even the lives of those who managed to survive.

This hell is not a thing of the past. As long as nuclear weapons exist and policymakers threaten their use, their horror could leap into our present at any moment. You could find yourself suffering their cruelty.

To read more, click here.

Can the World Come to Its Senses on Nuclear Weapons?

by Bunny McDiarmid

President Trump, who is the ultimate commander of the U.S.’s nuclear arsenal, believed to consist of 6,800 warheads, has threatened North Korea with “fire and fury.” North Korea has threatened to attack the U.S. territory of Guam, in the Pacific Ocean. The threat of nuclear attack has become a bargaining chip, a threat spoken about all too easily and lightly.

These weapons of mass destruction are designed for one purpose only: war. Their use and even the threat of their use poses an existential threat to all life on our precious planet.

In this time where the threat of war has become thinkable again, world governments must use it as an impetus to come to their senses and disarm.

To read more, click here.

Remembering Tony de Brum

Tony de Brum, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, passed away on August 22. Ambassador de Brum was a selfless leader in the movements for nuclear weapons abolition and climate sanity, and he will be dearly missed.

In 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, led by Minister de Brum, filed the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits in the International Court of Justice and U.S. Federal Court, landmark cases against the nine nuclear-armed nations “for failing to comply with their obligations under international law to pursue negotiations in good faith for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons.”

Tony de Brum was a member of the NAPF Advisory Council and received the Foundation’s 2012 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award for his tireless work for justice and a world free of nuclear weapons.

Tributes to de Brum have been written from all over the world, including articles by Robert C. Koehler, the Washington Post, and The New York Times.

President Trump Threatens “Fire and Fury” Against North Korea

On August 8, President Trump warned that North Korea would face “fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it continues to threaten the United States. Later that week, he threatened North Korea again, this time on Twitter. He wrote, “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.”

The same week, he told reporters, “Let’s see what he [Kim Jong-un] does with Guam. If he does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody’s seen before, what will happen in North Korea.” He added that his comments on Guam were not a “dare,” just a “statement of fact.”

Jacob Pramuk, “Trump: Maybe ‘Fire and Fury’ Statement on North Korea Wasn’t Tough Enough,” CNBC, August 10, 2017.

U.S. Warns Sweden Not to Sign Nuclear Ban Treaty

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis sent a letter to Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist warning Sweden of a negative impact on relations should they sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

According to Svenska Dagbladet, the Swedish newspaper that originally reported the story, “The implication is that if the government signs the convention banning nuclear weapons, including on Swedish territory, it would impact both defense cooperation during peace time and the possibility of military support from the USA in a crisis situation.”

The treaty opens for signature at the United Nations on September 20.

“U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Warned Sweden Not to Sign Anti-Nuclear Weapons Treaty: Report,” The Local, August 30, 2017.

German Candidate Pledges to Remove U.S. Nuclear Weapons from German Soil

Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party leader, Martin Fultz, promised to remove 20 U.S. nuclear warheads that are kept in the country under the auspices of NATO if elected as Chancellor in September. Fultz and the Social Democrats face rival Angela Merkel and her conservative Christian Democratic Union party, and are reportedly down 39%-25% in the polls with one month left to campaign.

Schulz said that President Trump’s conflict with North Korea “shows us more than ever before how urgently we need to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and encourage disarmament.”

Erik Kirschbaum, “German Rival of Chancellor Merkel Vows to Remove U.S. Nuclear Weapons from the Country,” Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2017.

North Korea Fires Missile Over Japan

In one of its most provocative missile tests to date, North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew over the island of Hokkaido, Japan, on the morning of August 28. The test sparked outrage and fear across Japan, where officials halted trains and warned residents under its path to take cover. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe requested an emergency meeting of the UN security council to address the increasingly aggressive actions taken by North Korea.

North Korean state media said the launch was “the first step of the military operation of the (North Korean military) in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam,” a U.S. territory in the Pacific.

Brad Lendon and Joshua Berlinger, “Next Target Guam, North Korea Says,” CNN, August 30, 2017.

White House Pressuring Intelligence Officials to Find Iran in Non-Compliance with Nuclear Deal

The White House is reported to have been putting pressure on intelligence agencies to find evidence that Iran has not been in compliance with the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The deal, negotiated with Iran and five other countries, dictated that Iran would dramatically scale down its nuclear infrastructure and fuel stockpiles in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions.

President Trump, who has repeatedly bashed the deal as too conciliatory to Iran, seems determined to negate the deal. Yet despite Trump’s outspoken dislike for the deal, the consensus across the nation’s intelligence agencies, governmental departments, and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)— which is in charge of inspecting Iran’s compliance with the deal— is that Iran has not violated the terms of the deal.

Julian Borger, “White House ‘Pressuring’ Intelligence Officials to Find Iran in Violation of Nuclear Deal,” The Guardian, August 28, 2017.

U.S. Awards Contracts for Nuclear “Modernization” Programs

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have been chosen to design and build the next generation of air-launched nuclear cruise missiles for the U.S. military. Individual $900 million dollar contracts have been provided to both companies to develop the new weapon, known as the Long Range Standoff weapon (LRSO). The Air Force is expected to order 1,000 of the missiles. The current estimated cost for the system is $10 billion.

The Pentagon has additionally recently awarded contracts to weapons companies Boeing and Northrup Grumman to begin work on a new land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system. The total cost of “modernizing” the U.S. nuclear arsenal is expected to exceed $1 trillion over the next thirty years.

David E. Sanger and William J. Broad, “Trump Forges Ahead on Costly Nuclear Overhaul”, The New York Times, August 27, 2017.

U.S. Conducts Additional Tests of New B61-12 Nuclear Bomb

On August 8, the U.S. Air Force conducted two flight tests of its new B61-12 nuclear bomb at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The test assemblies, which were dropped from an F-15E based at Nellis Air Force Base, evaluated the weapon’s non-nuclear functions and the aircraft’s capability to deliver the weapon.

The B61-12 is a new nuclear bomb that combines four previous variants of the B61. It introduces new military capabilities to the U.S. arsenal, contributing to the nuclear arms race among the world’s nine nuclear-armed nations.

“B61-12 Continues to Meet Qualification Test Schedule,” National Nuclear Security Administration, August 28, 2017.

Low Enriched Uranium Fuel Bank Opens in Kazakhstan

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened a “fuel bank” for low enriched uranium (LEU) on August 29 in Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility is designed to discourage countries from enriching their own nuclear fuel.

“The LEU Bank will serve as a last-resort mechanism to provide confidence to countries that they will be able to obtain LEU for the manufacture of fuel for nuclear power plants in the event of an unforeseen, non-commercial disruption to their supplies,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement on Monday.

While the new fuel bank may discourage countries from developing their own uranium enrichment facilities, the issues of catastrophic accidents and an inability to safely, permanently store radioactive waste continue to pose threats to people around the world.

“UN Nuclear Watchdog Opens Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan,” Reuters, August 29, 2017.

This Month 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 month of September, including a September 14, 1954 Soviet nuclear test in which 45,000 Soviet troops were purposely exposed to a ground detonation of a 30-kiloton nuclear device.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

Nuclear Close Calls

NAPF summer intern Sarah Witmer has published an extensive list of close calls involving nuclear weapons, including incidents in which nuclear weapons were misplaced, stolen, damaged, or even detonated.

Many of these incidents resulted in casualties, including innocent civilians, and many others nearly led to nuclear war. These close calls emphasize the lack of proper security for nuclear weapons, and the lack of training and overall competence of militaries and leaders who possess nuclear weapons. There have been far more incidents than those listed here, and likely many that militaries and world leaders withhold as classified.

To read the report, click here.

New Books Now Available

In August, new books were published by NAPF President David Krieger and NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell. The fourth edition of Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, was edited by David Krieger. The book features hundreds of quotes organized into ten chapters related to war, peace, nuclear weapons, and the human future.

Chappell’s new book, Soldiers of Peace: How to Wield the Weapon of Nonviolence with Maximum Force, is the sixth book in his Road to Peace series. This book offers a new paradigm in human understanding by dispelling popular myths and revealing timeless truths about the reality of struggle, rage, trauma, empathy, the limitations of violence, the power of nonviolence, and the skills needed to create lasting peace.

Evening for Peace: A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 34th Annual Evening for Peace will take place on Sunday, October 22, in Santa Barbara, California. The theme of this year’s event is “A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World.” The Foundation will honor Dr. Ira Helfand and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War with its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award.

For more information, including sponsorship opportunities and tickets, click here.

Peace Literacy Moves Forward

After a successful five-day summer workshop with 27 participants from around the United States and Canada, NAPF’s Peace Literacy Initiative has begun reaching a broad audience. Participants included teachers, ministers, psychologists, activists, and students. Feedback from fellow participants allowed Shari Clough, a professor of philosophy at Oregon State University, to re-organize and re-launch the Peace Literacy website.

The website, www.peaceliteracy.org, features lesson plans for different age groups that anyone can download for free. Clough said, “Kids need to learn peace in a sustained fashion – in the same way that they are taught to read and write. And for us adults, too, we have much to learn. It is never too late.”

To read more about the Peace Literacy summer workshop and the new Peace Literacy website, click here.

Letter in The New York Times

On August 1, The New York Times published a letter to the editor from Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs. The letter was in response to an article about the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet stating that he would obey an order to launch a nuclear strike against China.

In the letter, Wayman wrote, “Would you willingly initiate the indiscriminate slaughter of hundreds of thousands or millions of people, risking a massive nuclear exchange that could end human civilization as we know it? That is the deeper meaning of the question that Adm. Scott Swift answered in the affirmative.”

To read the full letter, click here.

Sign the Open Letter to Congress: Act to Prevent Nuclear Catastrophe

This may be the most dangerous time in human history. The Roman emperor Nero is remembered for having fiddled while Rome burned.  We may be witnessing the far more dangerous Nuclear Age equivalent to Nero’s fiddling in the form of the nuclear threat exchanges between Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

Add your name to this Open Letter to members of Congress that calls on them to act urgently to prevent a nuclear catastrophe. Click here to take action.

“All warfare is based on deception.”

— Sun Tzu. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action. The revised 4th edition of this book has just been published. Order copies today in the NAPF Peace Store at a 25% discount.

“I would like to de-nuke the world. I know that President Obama said that global warming is the biggest threat. I totally disagree. I say that it’s a simple one: nuclear is our greatest threat worldwide. Not even a question, not even close. So I’d like to de-nuke the world. I would like Russia, and the United States, and China, and Pakistan, and many other countries that have nuclear weapons to get rid of them. But until such time as they do, we will be the most powerful nuclear nation on Earth by far.”

— U.S. President Donald Trump, in a media briefing on August 10, 2017.

“I worry about, frankly, the access to the nuclear codes. [If] in a fit of pique he [President Trump] decides to do something about Kim Jong Un, there’s actually very little to stop him. The whole system is built to ensure rapid response if necessary. So there’s very little in the way of controls over exercising a nuclear option, which is pretty damn scary.”

— James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, in an interview with CNN.

“The DPRK (North Korea) will continue to strengthen its defensive capability with nuclear force, as long as U.S. … does not stop military drills on the doorstep of the DPRK. U.S. pressure and provocative acts only justify the DPRK’s measure to strengthen its self-defense capabilities.”

— Han Tae Song, North Korea’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

David Krieger
Aidan Powers-Riggs
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

Avoiding the Ticking Time Bomb of Nukes in North Korea

by Richard Falk and David Krieger

Alarmingly, tensions between the United States and North Korea have again reached crisis proportions. The unpredictable leaders of both countries are pursuing extremely provocative and destabilizing patterns of behavior. Where such dangerous interactions lead no one can now foresee. The risk of this tense situation spiraling out of control should not be minimized.

To read the full article in The Hill, click here.

U.S. Prepares to Confront Nuclear Ban Treaty with Smart Bombs

by Rick Wayman

On May 23, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a press release celebrating President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget. DOE specifically lauded the proposed “$10.2 billion for Weapons Activities to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear weapons enterprise.”

Less than 24 hours earlier, Ambassador Elayne Whyte of Costa Rica released a draft of a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Over 130 nations have participated in the ban treaty negotiations thus far. A final treaty text is expected by early July.

No one is surprised at President Trump’s proposed funding for nuclear weapons activities; in fact, it is largely a continuation of the U.S. nuclear “modernization” program that began under President Obama. What is alarming, however, is the tacit admission by the Department of Energy that it is not simply maintaining current U.S. nuclear warheads until such time as they are eliminated. Rather, it is enhancing the “effectiveness” of nuclear weapons by incorporating new military capabilities into new weapons expected to be active through the final decades of the 21st century.

To read more, click here.

Fire at Plutonium Facility Puts Future of Nuclear Weapons Lab in Question

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will hold a hearing on June 7 to discuss the future of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the United States’ main nuclear weapons facilities. A fire broke out at a Los Alamos plutonium facility in mid-April. The Board is unsure whether Los Alamos is competent to continue to operate and handle increasing quantities of plutonium in the coming years.

Jay Coghlan, Executive Director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, said, “Fattening up our already bloated nuclear weapons stockpile is not going to improve our national security. New Mexicans desperately need better funded schools and health care, not expanded plutonium pit production that will cause more pollution and threaten our scarce water resources.”

“Fire Raises Questions About Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Safety,” Associated Press, May 27, 2017.

North Korea Accuses U.S. and South Korea of Nuclear Bomb-Dropping Drill

North Korea lashed out at the U.S. and South Korea for conducting what it calls a “nuclear bomb-dropping drill” with B-1B strategic bombers on May 29. North Korea claimed the B-1B bombers, which are currently deployed to Guam, flew over South Korea and approached an area 80 km east of Gangneung, an eastern city near the Military Demarcation Line that serves as the border between the two Koreas.

Contrary to North Korea’s claim, the B-1B bombers no longer carry nuclear weapons, though they were nuclear-capable for a time. According to the U.S. Air Force, the conversion to an all-conventional mission for B-1 aircraft was completed in March 2011.

A report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, “Such military provocation of the U.S. imperialists is a dangerous reckless racket for bringing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war.”

Jesse Johnson, “North Korea Blasts South for ‘Nuclear Bomb-Dropping’ Drill with U.S. B-1B Strategic Bomber,” Japan Times, May 30, 2017.

Draft Ban Treaty Released Ahead of Second Round of Negotiations

On May 22, a United Nations disarmament panel released the first draft of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. Negotiations among 130+ nations at the United Nations will resume on June 15 in New York. The agenda currently calls for a final treaty to be prepared by July 7. The United States and the world’s eight other nuclear-armed nations have thus far boycotted the negotiations.

The draft treaty would commit signers to “never use nuclear weapons” and never “develop, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”

Representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will be actively participating in the negotiations at the UN in the coming weeks.

Rick Gladstone, “UN Panel Releases Draft of Treaty to Ban Nuclear Arms,” The New York Times, May 22, 2017.

Highly Scripted Missile Defense Test Called a “Success”

On May 30, the United States conducted a test of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. A mock enemy missile was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and an interceptor missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The test, which cost $244 million, was hailed as a “success” by missile defense proponents because the interceptor missile destroyed the mock incoming missile.

However, the GMD system is far from having proven itself as a viable system that can work under real-world conditions. Operators knew the date and time of the “enemy” launch, as well as the exact location from which the enemy missile would be fired. They also knew the exact specs of the enemy missile, enabling them to better anticipate its trajectory. The weather was clear, and the test took place during daylight hours. Few, if any, of these conditions are likely to be present in a real-world scenario. This makes any claim of this test being a “success” an exaggeration at best.

David Willman, “Pentagon Successfully Tests Missile Defense System Amid Rising Concerns About North Korea,” Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2017.

Americans Who Can Find North Korea on a Map Are More Likely to Prefer Diplomacy

A new experiment conducted in April reveals some surprising correlations between one’s political preferences and geographical literacy.

Those who were able to identify North Korea on a map tended to favor nonviolent, diplomatic approaches towards the country. Not surprisingly, they were also more likely to disapprove of direct military engagement in the region. These results tell us that in order to achieve peace, we must encourage younger generations to look outward rather than inward.

Kevin Quealy, “If Americans Can Find North Korea on a Map, They’re More Likely to Prefer Diplomacy,” The New York Times, May 14, 2017.

North Korea Test Fired Three Missiles in May

North Korea conducted three missile tests in the month of May. They were all short- or medium-range ballistic missiles. While North Korea does not yet possess a missile capable of reaching the United States, its missiles do pose a threat to U.S. troops in the region and U.S. allies such as South Korea and Japan.

Experts widely believe that North Korea is seeking the capability to strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon as a deterrent to regime change. North Korea has cited the examples of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadaffi in Libya as two leaders who gave up their nuclear weapons programs and were taken down by the U.S.

Joshua Berlinger, “North Korea’s Missile Tests: By the Numbers,” CNN, May 29, 2017.

New ICBM Estimated to Cost $85 Billion and Climbing

The latest cost estimates for the United States to field a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system is up to $85 billion, with the estimated price tag likely to rise even further as the program progresses. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry has called for the elimination of the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad. Perry said, “The ICBM system is outdated, risky and unnecessary. Basically, it can bring about the end of civilization with a false alarm. It’s a liability because we can easily achieve deterrence without it.”

W.J. Hennigan and Ralph Vartabedian, “Upgrading U.S. Nuclear Missiles, as Russia and China Modernize, Would Cost $85 Billion. Is it Time to Quit the ICBM Race?” Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2017.

Radioactive Waste Tunnel Collapses While U.S. Spends Billions on New Nuclear Weapons

On May 9, a tunnel in which radioactive waste is stored collapsed at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State. This latest accident is a stark reminder of the ongoing risks presented by nuclear facilities within the United States. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has estimated that it will cost $32 billion to completely decontaminate and demolish DOE’s old, unused nuclear weapons facilities.

Meanwhile, in the budget proposal published by the Trump Administration on May 23, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration saw a $1 billion increase over last year, up to $10.2 billion. Instead of focusing on dealing with the myriad messes already created in the process of producing nuclear weapons, the U.S. is choosing to create additional weapons, which will inevitably lead to more waste and more environmental issues.

Robert Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, said, “The longer you wait to deal with this problem, the more dangerous it becomes.”

Tom James, “Hanford Nuclear Site Accident Puts Focus on Aging U.S. Facilities,” Reuters, May 12, 2017.

This Month 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 month of June, including the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. The U.S. threatened to use nuclear weapons during the Korean War. The war ended with an armistice agreement, and no peace treaty was ever signed.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

Accountability Audit

The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) has published a new report entitled “Accountability Audit.” The report examines the extraordinary spending at Department of Energy nuclear facilities and examines ways to reduce risks and save billions of dollars across the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.

To download a copy of the report, click here.

We’re Edging Closer to Nuclear War

What’s the probability of nuclear war? According to experts, it may be higher than you think. A panel of experts assembled by the popular website Five Thirty Eight seeks to answer some of the toughest questions about nuclear weapons.

Click here to read the full story.

NAPF Representatives Lobby Congress

Five representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation traveled to Washington, DC in late May to take part in the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s 29th annual DC Days event. Director of Programs Rick Wayman, interns Kristian Rolland and Sarah Dolan, and Board members Robert Laney and Mark Hamilton together conducted 43 meetings with Congressional and Administration offices.

In Washington, NAPF was advocating for reductions in the nuclear weapons budget, a halt to specific nuclear weapon modernization programs, Congressional co-sponsorship of a bill restricting the first use of nuclear weapons, and an increased commitment to environmental cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapon production sites.

Final Negotiations for a Nuclear Ban Treaty

NAPF Director of Programs Rick Wayman and Board Chair Robert Laney will travel to New York in June to participate in the final round of negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons. The negotiations will take place at the United Nations from June 15 to July 7.

NAPF is also a partner of the Women’s March to Ban the Bomb, which will take place in New York City on Saturday, June 17.

Poetry Contest Deadline is July 1

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation invites people of all ages from around the world to submit poems to the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry contest. This annual series of awards 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. The deadline for entries is July 1, 2017. The winner of the adult category will receive a $1,000 prize, while the winners in the two youth categories will receive $200 prizes.

For more information and to read previous years’ winning poems, click here.

“When you can make people believe absurdities, you can make them commit atrocities.”

— Voltaire, French Enlightenment philosopher. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

“A conflict in North Korea…would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes…. The bottom line is it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into a combat if we’re not able to resolve this situation through diplomatic means.”

— U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, speaking about the conflict between the United States and North Korea.

“It’s an extraordinary question when you think about it – would you order the indiscriminate killing of millions of people? Would you risk such extensive contamination of the planet that no life could exist across large parts of the world? If circumstances arose where that was a real option, it would represent complete and cataclysmic failure. It would mean world leaders had already triggered a spiral of catastrophe for humankind.”

— Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK Labour Party, responding to a question about whether, if Prime Minister, he would be willing to use nuclear weapons.

David Krieger
Kristian Rolland
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

A Better Mousetrap?

by David Krieger

Albert Einstein noted, “Mankind invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap.”

We humans have created the equivalent of a mousetrap for ourselves. And we’ve constructed tens of thousands of them over the seven decades of the Nuclear Age.

In the mid-1980s, the world reached a high of 70,000 nuclear weapons, with more than 95 percent of them in the arsenals of the United States and Soviet Union. Since then, the number has fallen to under 15,000. While this downward trend is positive, the world’s nuclear countries possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the human species many times over.

To read more, click here.

Testimony of a Hiroshima Survivor

by Fujimori Toshiki

I was 1 year and 4 months-old when the bomb was dropped. I was sick that day, so my mother was heading to the hospital with me on her back when the bomb was dropped. We were 2.3 km from the hypocenter. Fortunately, a two-story house between the hypocenter and us prevented us from directly being exposed to the heat. Yet, we were thrown all the way to the edge of the river bank. My mother, with me in her arms, managed to get to the nearby mountain called Ushitayama. Our family members were in different locations at the time of the bombing, but everyone escaped to the same mountain of Ushitayama, except for my fourth-elder sister. For many days that followed, my parents and my sisters kept going back to the area near the hypocenter to look for my fourth-eldest sister, who was missing. We never found her. We never found her body either.

In the meantime, I had my entire body covered with bandages, with only eyes, nose, and mouth uncovered. Everybody thought I would die over time. Yet, I survived. It is a miracle. I am here at the UN, asking for an abolition of nuclear weapons. I am convinced that this is a mission I am given as a survivor of the atomic-bomb.

To read more, click here.

Message to the UN Conference Negotiating a Nuclear Ban Treaty

by Pope Francis

If we take into consideration the principal threats to peace and security with their many dimensions in this multipolar world of the twenty-first century as, for example, terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental problems, poverty, not a few doubts arise regarding the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to such challenges. These concerns are even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space.  Similar cause for concern arises when examining the waste of resources spent on nuclear issues for military purposes, which could instead be used for worthy priorities like the promotion of peace and integral human development, as well as the fight against poverty, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We need also to ask ourselves how sustainable is a stability based on fear, when it actually increases fear and undermines relationships of trust between peoples.

To read more, click here.

U.S. Ambassador Leads Pro-Nuclear Protest Outside UN Ban Treaty Negotiations

On March 27, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley led a press conference in protest of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Toward Their Total Elimination. Ambassador Haley spoke briefly at the press conference along with UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft and French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek.

The United States strongly opposed the idea of negotiating a nuclear ban treaty when it was under discussion in 2016 during the Obama Administration. Staunch U.S. opposition to a ban treaty is now continuing under the Trump Administration.

Somini Sengupta and Rick Gladstone, “United States and Allies Protest UN Talks to Ban Nuclear Weapons,” The New York Times, March 27, 2017.

Head of U.S. Strategic Command Opposes Vision of a Nuclear Weapons-Free World

Gen. John Hyten, head of United States Strategic Command, told reporters at the annual meeting of the Military Reporters and Editors Association that nuclear weapons make the world safer. Gen. Hyten said, “Can I imagine a world without nuclear weapons? Yes, I can. That’s a world I didn’t like.”

He criticized the effort underway at the United Nations to achieve a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, saying that nuclear weapons act as a deterrent and keep the peace.

Tom O’Connor, “Top U.S. Military Commander Says Nuclear Weapons Make the World Safer,” Newsweek, March 31, 2017.

Watch Hundreds of U.S. Nuclear Tests on YouTube

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has released dozens of videos showing U.S. nuclear weapons tests. The footage was captured from tests conducted from 1945 to 1962 in the Marshall Islands and Nevada. LLNL restored and declassified the films, many of which were deteriorating.

Dr. Gregory Spriggs, a weapons physicist in charge of the project at Livermore, said, “I think that if we capture the history of this and show what the force of these weapons are and how much devastation they can wreak, then maybe people will be reluctant to use them.”

Christine Hauser, “U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests Come to YouTube,” The New York Times, March 17, 2017.

Scientists Urge a Ban on Nuclear Weapons

Over 3,600 scientists have signed an open letter urging the United Nations to complete negotiations on a new treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The open letter, which includes signatures of 28 Nobel laureates, states, “We scientists bear a special responsibility for nuclear weapons, since it was scientists who invented them and discovered that their effects are even more horrific than first thought.”

The open letter was organized by the Future of Life Institute, and was presented to Her Excellency Ms. Elayne Whyte Gómez of Costa Rica, President of the ban treaty negotiations at the United Nations.

Sarah Marquart, “The UN Is Currently Meeting to Negotiate a Complete, Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons,” Futurism, March 27, 2017.

U.S. Court Hears Oral Arguments in Marshall Islands’ Nuclear Disarmament Case

On March 15, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the United States in the Marshall Islands’ nuclear disarmament lawsuit. The RMI filed suit in 2014 against the United States for breaches of Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires good faith negotiations for an end to the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament.

Oral arguments before the three-judge panel centered around the United States’ preliminary objections, as opposed to the merits of the case. A ruling by the Ninth Circuit is expected in the coming months.

Helen Christophi, “Ninth Circuit Hesitant to Get Into Nuclear Disarmament,” Courthouse News Service, March 17, 2017.

Russia Plans Cuts to Military Budget

Russia appears to have planned a cut of over 25% to its military budget next year. Military news outlet IHS Jane’s calls this “the largest cut to military expenditure in the country since the early 1990s.” The cuts are likely due to a combination of the lower price of oil and Western sanctions against Russia.

After these cuts take effect, Russia’s total annual military budget will be roughly the same as the increase in the U.S. military budget proposed by President Trump ($54 billion).

Danielle Ryan, “So Much for the Russian Threat: Putin Slashes Defense Spending While Trump Plans Massive Buildup,” Salon, March 19, 2017.

U.S. to Reconsider Eventual Goal of Nuclear Disarmament

Christopher Ford, senior director on the National Security Council for weapons of mass destruction and counter-proliferation, told a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace conference that the Trump administration is reconsidering the long-standing U.S. goal of eventual global nuclear disarmament.

Ford implied that because of the U.S. plans to “modernize” its nuclear arsenal and production infrastructure, “It’s not totally obvious that we can continue to have it both ways in that respect for the foreseeable future.”

Rachel Oswald, “NSC Official: Trump May Abandon Goal of Nuclear Disarmament,” Roll Call, March 21, 2017.

This Month 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 month of April, including the April 4, 1949 creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

Toward a Fundamental Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is co-sponsoring a conference in Washington, DC on April 27 entitled “Toward a Fundamental Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy.” The conference will be convened by Soka Gakkai International-USA and will take place at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center.

Current realities call for a transformational change in nuclear weapons policy. This all-day conference will bring together scientists, policy experts, and religious leaders to discuss what must be done to pave the way for a nuclear weapons-free world.

The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information and to register, click here.

Intensive Summer Program: Hiroshima and Peace

Hiroshima City University will offer its intensive summer program “Hiroshima and Peace” to students from abroad and in Japan. The course aims to share recent advances of peace studies and to underline the importance of world peace in our age.

The Hiroshima and Peace program provides participants with an opportunity to think seriously about the importance of peacemaking in the world. The program consists of a series of lectures by specialists in different fields related to peace studies, discussions, and several featured programs, including testimony from a survivor of the atomic bombing, visits to the Atomic-bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum, and participation in the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th.

For more information about the course, click here.

Marshall Islands Student Association Project

The Marshall Islands Students Association (MISA) in Fiji is asking for members of the public to join them in solidarity as they urge Pacific leaders to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 regarding land-based pollutants, which has been pushed to the chopping block by many technical agencies citing lack of data.

A dome located on Runit Island in Enewatak Atoll holds a portion of the most toxic and contaminated garbage generated by 67 nuclear and thermonuclear bomb tests conducted by the U.S. on Enewetak and Bikini Atoll. The rest of the fallout will remain spread across the islands for tens of thousands of years. This is not only a concern for the Marshall Islands, but one that concerns all in the region. Nuclear contamination does not respect any border or boundaries.

MISA is calling for submissions in solidarity through poetry, dance, art and photos. For more information, visit the MISA Facebook page.

Letter in The New York Times

The New York Times published a letter to the editor written by Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs and Operations, on March 15. Wayman wrote the letter in response to a report about calls for Europe to develop its own nuclear arsenal.

He wrote in part, “Those in Europe arguing in favor of a continental nuclear arsenal are heavy on politics, but glaringly light on law and humanity.”

To read the full letter, click here.

Video Featuring Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 16th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future featured legendary Hollywood director Oliver Stone and Professor Peter Kuznick, co-authors of the internationally-acclaimed documentary The Untold History of the United States.

The event, entitled “Untold History, Uncertain Future,” took place on February 23 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. A video of the event is now available to watch for free on YouTube. Click here for the video.

NAPF Participates in Ban Treaty Negotiations

Numerous representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation participated in the first round of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Toward Their Total Elimination, which took place from March 27-31 at UN headquarters in New York. NAPF Director of Programs Rick Wayman chaired a side event on March 28 entitled “U.S. Nuclear Modernization Under President Trump: Implications for the Ban Treaty Process.”

Wayman also wrote an article for the Nuclear Ban Daily, a publication by Reaching Critical Will that was distributed to NGOs and delegates on each day of the negotiations. His article was entitled “‘Modernization’ Violates Every Likely Prohibition in Ban Treaty.” To read the article, click here.

Peace Poetry Contest Now Accepting Entries

April marks National Poetry Month. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry contest is accepting entries through July 1, 2017. The awards encourage 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.

The contest is open to people worldwide. Poems must be original, unpublished, and in English.

For more information on the contest, including instructions on how to enter, click here. To read the winning poems from past years, click here.

Peace Literacy in an Age of Anger

NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell recently visited Corvallis, Oregon, to deliver a workshop on Peace Literacy. The Corvallis Advocate published an article about Chappell’s Peace Literacy concept.

In her introduction of Paul K. Chappell at the Oregon State University (OSU) event, Allison Davis White-Eyes—OSU’s Assistant Vice Provost and Director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement—described how, “It has become more clear that we must find a way to speak to one another, to listen to one another [and] to reach across the great ideological divide of our country. The time is now.”

To read the full article, click here.

“Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread.”

— Pablo Neruda. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

“There is no such thing as a limited nuclear war, and the United States should be seeking to raise the threshold for nuclear use, not blur that threshold by building additional so-called low-yield weapons.”

— Twelve U.S. Senators in a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

“We are going to be having an increase in the movements of weapons in coming years and we should be worried. We always have to assume the worst-case scenario when we are hauling nuclear weapons around the country.”

— Robert Alvarez, in a Los Angeles Times story about the troubled federal agency tasked with transporting U.S. nuclear weapons around the country.

David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman