EarthAction

EU and Russia Support UN Call for Global Coronavirus Ceasefire. Cameroon Rebels Announce Ceasefire

In an international appeal issued on Monday March 23, UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres urged warring parties across the world to observe a ceasefire to assist the battle against COVID-19, which he called ‘the common enemy that is now threatening all of humankind.’ (Click here for his video message).

In addition, Mr Guterres tasked UN Special Envoys in conflict zones to follow up on this appeal. ‘My special envoys will be now working with the parties to the conflict to try to make sure that this global appeal is not only listened to but leads to concrete action, leads to a pause in fighting, creating the conditions for the response to COVID‑19 to be much more effective.’

The appeal appears to be having some impact - although limited so far.

On March 26, a rebel militia in Cameroon, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (Socadef), responded by announcing that they would observe a two week long ceasefireso that people could be tested for coronavirus without fear. 

A chief mediator in the Cameroon conflict Mr Alexandre Liebeskind, said that he hoped others would follow Socadef's example, not only in Cameroon but also in other conflicts in Africa. "Sitting in Africa, I am particularly concerned because it's a fragile continent. The economic and social consequences [of coronavirus] could be devastating if it is not quickly contained." 

European Union and Russia support the ceasefire call

Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has supported the UNSG's call for a ceasefire, tweeting: 

'The call for an immediate global ceasefire by UN Secretary General @antonioguterres is more important than ever. Only together and in peace can we overcome the global #coronavirus pandemic. This is the real fight we need to face today. Unity and solidarity are our weapons.' (@JosepBorellF)

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, released a statement on March 25, supporting the ceasefire call and highlighting key conflicts where a ceasefire is especially important.

"Of special concern are the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Syria, as well in the Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip. We note separately the risks associated with the possible deterioration of the epidemiological situation in African countries, where there is a persisting armed confrontation. The localities with camps for refugees and internally displaced persons are particularly vulnerable."

Win Without War urges the United States to Support

Win without War, a United States based campaign, has called on the Trump Administration and US Congress to support the ceasefire call.

'The truth is, it’s going to take all of us, everywhere, doing our part. That’s what every doctor says, every scientist and public health official tells us. Yet in far too many corners of the world, some of us are still trying to kill one another on the battlefield. Right now, we need the entirety of the U.S. government fighting this pandemic, not endless wars.'
Win Without War appeal to President Trump and the U.S. Congress.

US residents can add their support at We Demand a Global Ceasefire.

Call to support global ceasefire by ending weapons production

World Beyond War (WBW) and Peace Brigades International (PBI) Canada, another two organisations promoting the UN call for a ceasefire, are urging campaigners in arms-producing countries to support by ending weapons production and arms transfers. See United Nations Calls For Peace During The Coronavirus Pandemic, But War Production Continues.

They note that the weapons industry is keeping factories open to keep making weapons, even in countries like Italy and the USA where many other businesses are having to close during the worst part of the pandemic. Indeed the arms industry has effectively convinced governments that the defence industry be included as "essential services, [which] may remain in operation.”

WBW has launched an online petition calling for the cancellation of Canada' largest arms show, CANSEC, which is scheduled to take place on May 27-28 and has not been cancelled or postponed.

Webinar on an End to War

World Beyond War is holding a webinar on April 7 on the topic Ending War with keynote speaker David Swanson. Click here for details. 

Taken from UNFOLD ZERO

UN Disarmament Week: Over $500 Billion of Nuke Money Counted - and Shifted to SDGs

From October 24-30 (UN Disarmament Week), a team of volunteers in New York City counted out $542 billion – the approximate global nuclear weapons budget for the next five years – and symbolically reallocated this to climate protection, poverty alleviation and the Sustainable Development Goals. The money was counted in 542,000 mock notes each of value $1million.

The event was part of a global campaign to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in the nuclear weapons industry and re-direct these budgets and investments to peace, disarmament, climate protection and sustainable development.

'Most people have no idea how much is $1 billion, let alone $500 billion, says Holger Gūssefeld, World Future Council adviser and conceiver of the money counting project. 'By counting this note-by-note we come to realise the absolute insanity of investing so much money in devices designed to bring unimaginable misery into the world instead of using these precious resources to solve the global social, humanitarian and environmental problems.’

‘We had hoped to count 1 million notes to make up $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years’ said Susanna Choe, Co-founder of Peace Accelerators and one of the main money counters. ‘But this amount of money is so vast, that even counting with notes of $1million and with many volunteers counting, it was too much.’

We filled basket after basket with billions of dollars,’ said Bill Kidd, Member of the Scottish Parliament and another of the main money counters. ‘This money could protect the climate, end poverty, ensure universal health care, support peace and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if it were not wasted on nuclear weapons.’

Susanna Choe, Bill Kidd and Vanda Proskova counting nuclear weapons money. Behind them is the graphic which depicts what the money could fund if it was not invested in nuclear weapons.

Money Counting from the United Nations to the City

The money counting started at the United Nations (click here for video of UN launch) and then continued at various locations around the city including:

• With Students Strike 4 Climate (Fridays for Future) in front of the United Nations;
• Outside Jacobs Engineering, a nuclear weapons contractor, during which a letter was delivered to the company informing them of the divestment campaign against them;
• In front of New York City Hall, to support initiatives for the City Council to end investments by NYC pension funds in nuclear weapons companies, and to establish a public committee to advance NYC’s role as a nuclear-weapon-free zone;
• At Strawberry Fields in Central Park (a location honoring John Lennon), Washington Square Park (wth New York University students) and at the Gandhi statue in Union Square;
• The Hub in the Chelsea neighourhood of New York City, where most of the money was counted and re-allocated to baskets representing the 17 SDGs.

Volunteers help count the nuclear weapons money at the Hub.

Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and the SANE Act

The money counting action was part of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, a global campaign to cut nuclear weapons, end investments in the nuclear weapons industry and re-direct these budgets and investments to peace and sustainable development. (See New anti-nuclear campaign to stop funding of nuclear weapons, Associated Press).

“The nuclear weapons industry is powerful and wealthy, and has a stranglehold on the political process in most of the nuclear armed states,” said Alyn Ware, Co-founder of the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign. “But we can take back this power by supporting legislative efforts to cut nuclear weapons budgets, and by ending investments by our cities, universities, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and banks in the nuclear weapons industry.” 

U.S. Senator Markey, an endorser of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, used the opportunity of the money counting week to introduce an updated version of the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditure (SANE) Act. The Act, which was introduced also into the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Blumenauer, aims to improve national security and budgetary sanity by cutting redundant and destabilizing nuclear weapons programs.

'The United States should fund education, not annihilation; that is our future,' said Senator Markey. 'We need sanity when crafting America’s budget priorities, and more and improved nuclear weapons defies common sense. The SANE Act cuts nuclear weapons and delivery systems that we don’t need so we can invest in the people and programs that will make America safe and prosperous in the future.'

We encourage U.S. citizens to call on your congress members to endorse the SANE Act. 

Senator Ed Markey, Co-President of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament and lead sponsor of the SANE Act. Markey is also co-author with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Green New Deal.

Money countings in other cities/countries

There were also countings of smaller amounts of nuclear weapons money in London, New Mexico, Philadelphia and New Zealand.

In London, a counting of £5.2billion in 10,400 notes of £500,000 each was organised by Conscience: Taxes for Peace not War and held on Saturday 26 October outside theMinistry of Defence. See Photos of the London event, London Count the nuclear weapons money action flyer or visit the London event facebook page.

In New Mexico there were counting events at Taos Plaza (Taos), State Capital Roundhouse (Santa Fe), Socorro Plaza Gazebo (Socorro) and outside the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos).  The events were organised by Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety in cooperation with Youth United for Climate Crisis Action and Taosenos for Peaceful and Sustainable Futures.  See Activists Count ‘Nuclear Weapons Money’ In Los Alamos (Los Alamos Reporter), Photos of the New Mexico countings and the blog $13 billion of public money to be counted for peace at New Mexico nuclear weapons facilities.

In Philadelphia, a counting of $4.5 billion was held on October 24 at City Hall Philadelphia Courtyard organised by the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia. The event include songs led by the Grannies such as ‘We are a gaggle of Grannies’. See Photos of the Philadelphia counting and some videos of the counting action.

In New Zealand, a counting event was organised in the New Zealand Parliament co-hosted by PNND Member Louisa Wall MP and the United Nations Association of NZ. New Zealand banned nuclear weapons by legislation adopted in parliament in 1987, and has followed up by ending nuclear weapons investments by government managed funds.  See videos of the New Zealand event.

Money counting with School Strike 4 Peace and Fridays for Future in front of the United Nations.

Counting nuclear weapons money in the rain - in front of the Ministry of Defence in London.

Counting outside Los Alamos National Laboratory (nuclear bomb design and development facility) in New Mexico.

Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia counting the money and singing cheeky anti-nuclear songs.

Nuclear weapons money event in the New Zealand parliament.

Alyn at the money counting event at Strawberry Fields, imagining what money could support if it wasn't invested in nuclear weapons. Meanwhile a busker sings 'Imagine' in the background.

From Basel Peace Office. Read more here.

Move the money from nuclear weapons to climate protection and SDGs

In less than 10 days, we will start counting out $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next 10 years. We will 'reallocate this to climate protection and the sustainable development goals.'

The main counting will be in New York with satellite countings also in London, New Mexico, Philadelphia and Wellington.

This event will highlight the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign and actionspeople can take to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons corporations and re-direct these budgets and investments to better things.

The campaign is building excitement amongst legislators, religious leaders, peace and disarmament campaigners, climate activists, artists, musicians, athletes, youth and others. Below are inspring words from a few supporters of the campaign. This update we feature:

• Cora Weiss (USA), UN Representative for International Peace Bureau, Co-organiser of the 1 million person anti-nuclear rally in Central Park NY 1982;
  
• Erika Simpson (Canada), President of the Canadian Peace Research Association;
  
  
• Bruno B. Vallelunga (Canada), Song-writer including 'Who will stop the Nuclear Clock?' (IglooSongs2018, Click here for Spotify version);
  
• Nicole Ponce (Philippines), Core team member of the I am Climate Justice movement;
  
  
• Anwarul K. Chowdhury (Bangladesh/USA), Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace;
  
  
• Mridul Upadhyay (India), Co-founder of Youth for Peace International, Asia Coordinator of UNOY Peacebuilders;
  
• Natasha Shokri (Malaysia/Iran), UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador;
  
• David C. Hall (USA), Past-President of Physicians for Social Responsibility;
  
• Ravinder Kaur Nijjar (UK), Chair Religions for Peace UK Women of Faith Network, Former Co-Chair Religions for Peace European Women of Faith Network;
  
• Earl Turcotte (Canada), Chair of Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons;
  
• Shazia Rafi (Pakistan/USA), Convener AirQualityAsia, Former Secretary-General of Parliamentarians for Global Action.
  

U.S. Mayors Call on Presidential Candidates to Make Nuclear Disarmament a Campaign Issue

Mayors for Peace delegation (L-R) Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui; Satoshi Karoki; John Burroughs; North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso; Director Yasco Suehiro; Secretary-General Yasuyoshi Komizo  

On July 1, at the close of its 87^th Annual Meeting in Honolulu, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) unanimously adopted a bold new resolution, “Calling on All Presidential Candidates to Make Known Their Positions on Nuclear Weapons and to Pledge U.S. Global Leadership in Preventing Nuclear War, Returning to Diplomacy, and Negotiating the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons”. The resolution calls on “all Presidential candidates of all political parties” to make these “priority issues in the 2020 Presidential campaign”.  

The USCM resolution quotes Renata Dwan, Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, who “has declared that the risk of nuclear weapons being used again is at its highest since World War II, calling it an ‘urgent’ issue that the world should take more seriously”, and notes that according to the Congressional Budget Office, “U.S. spending for nuclear warheads, delivery systems and supporting infrastructure over the 2019 – 2028 period is projected to cost $494 billion, for an average of nearly $50 billion a year”.  

In remarks to a plenary session of the USCM annual meeting on Sunday, June 30, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, President of Mayors for Peace, declared: “As mayors, you are working every day for the wellbeing 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.”  

Warning that “the U.S. announcement, followed by Russia’s, of their intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty effective in August 2019 are signs of deepening crisis among the nuclear-armed states,” the resolution “calls on all Presidential candidates to pledge their support for the joint 1985 declaration by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,’ as urged by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres”.  

The USCM resolution further “calls on all Presidential candidates to pledge, if elected, to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first and by actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.”  

The resolution observes that despite the fact that “the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force in 1970, requires the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China to negotiate “in good faith” the end of the nuclear arms race “at an early date” and the elimination of their nuclear arsenals,” “nuclear-armed states are engaged in nuclear weapons modernization programs.”  

And the USCM “calls on all Presidential candidates to pledge, if elected, to reverse U.S. opposition to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to embrace its humanitarian values and goals”.  

The resolution was sponsored by Mayors for Peace U.S. Vice-President T.M. Franklin Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa and 18 co-sponsors including outgoing USCM President Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, and USCM International Affairs Committee Chair Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, Ohio.  

The USCM, the nonpartisan association of 1,408 American cities with populations over 30,000, has unanimously adopted Mayors for Peace resolutions for 14 consecutive years. Resolutions adopted at annual meetings become USCM official policy.  

As noted in this year’s resolution, “Mayors for Peace is working for a world without nuclear weapons and safe and resilient cities as essential measures for the achievement of lasting world peace, and has grown to 7,756 cities in 163 countries and regions, with 215 U.S. members.”  

Mayors for Peace, founded in 1982, is led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  

Click here to read the full text of the resolution with the list of 19 co-sponsors. And bring it to the attention of your mayor, your Congressional representatives, the Presidential candidates, and the TV networks that will be hosting the Presidential debates.  

For more information contact Mayors for Peace North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso at [email protected]. 

Webinar: Move the Nuclear Weapons Money - from destruction to sustainable development

Abolition 2000, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), UNFOLD ZERO and the World Future Council invite you to participate in a webinar on 
 

Move the Nuclear Weapons Money:
Divesting from Destruction. Investing in peace and sustainability

Tuesday July 30
5pm – 6:30pm Central Europe time
11:00 – 12:30 USA Eastern time 

Over the next ten years the nuclear armed countries plan to spend over 1 trillion US dollars on the nuclear arms race.

Those manufacturing the nuclear weapons are making a fortune, and are actively promoting the nuclear arms race. But everyone else suffers. Imagine how this money could instead end poverty, help reverse climate change, fund sustainable development goals, and support peace, education, health and welfare.

This webinar will explore strategies and actions to reverse the financial interests in nuclear weapons through actions to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons corporations, increase investments in peace and sustainability, and promote the economic value of peace.

Speakers:

• Laurie Smolenski, Institute for Economics and Peace, USA
  The economic value of peace
• Maevyn Davis-Rackerby, PNND, USA.
  Cutting nuclear weapons budgets
• Thies Kätow, World future Council/PNND, Germany
  Nuclear weapons divestment by states, cities and pension funds
• Rob van Riet, World Future Council, Chile/Netherlands
  The Climate/Nuclear Nexus: nuclear weapons and fossil fuel divestment 
• Clara Vondrich, DivestInvest, USA
  Lessons from fossil fuel divestment and impact investment

Chair:

Alyn Ware, Abolition 2000/PNND, Czech Republic/New Zealand.
Co-founder of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money 
 
Click here to register.

For more information see Abolition 2000 working group on economic dimensions of nuclearism and Move the Nuclear Weapons Money.

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation: Committed to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons

Read more about Ben Ferencz here in a recent EarthAction blog post.

Download Planethood, a free e-book by Ben Ferencz here. It’s a ‘must read’ for all who care about peace, justice and the planet.

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.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines “crimes against humanity” as including:

• “Deportation or forcible transfer of population;”
• “Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;”
• “Enforced disappearance of persons;” and
• “Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering.”

When such acts are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, it is indeed a crime against humanity.

Please take a moment to write to your Senators and Representative and tell them that they must do everything in their power to stop these crimes from continuing.

Whether acting as head of state, government official, or individual, under the Nuremberg Principles, anyone committing a crime against humanity is responsible under international law.

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."

Our elected officials, and each of us individually, have a responsibility to speak up against such crimes under international law.

Families must be reunited, and those seeking asylum must be treated with dignity.

Take Action

Nuclear Policies Impact Global Peace Index 2019 Rankings

The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2019 rankings, released earlier this month, demonstrate that ‘Global peacefulness has improved for the first time in five years.’

But for most of the countries possessing nuclear weapons their level of peace remains far below the global average, and in some cases has declined even further.

The United Kingdom is ranked at number 45 on the Global Peace Index, France is ranked at number 60, China at 110, USA at 128, India at 141, Israel at 146, DPRK at 149, Pakistan at 153 and Russia at 154.

Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on peace dynamics, trends, and key factors in developing peaceful societies. The Index also makes correlations between levels of Positive Peace and economic indicators, demonstrating the economic value of peace.

‘Higher levels of Positive Peace in a country correlate very closely with positive economic outcomes including stronger exchange rates and sovereign credit ratings and higher GDP growth, coupled with greater gender equality and better environmental resilience,’ said Laurie Smolenski, IEP Outreach and Development Officer.

Laurie Smolenski presenting the 2019 Global Peace Index rankings at the Washington DC launch of the GPI. Click here to watch the video of her presentation and following discussion.

Nuclear weapons and the Peace Index

While one cannot claim that the possession of nuclear weapons is a causative factor for the low level of a country’s peace rating, the correlation between nuclear weapons possession and low rankings is at least cause to question the argument that nuclear weapons enhance peace and security.

‘Nuclear deterrence is based on the threat of massive violence, plus military preparations to possibly launch such violence,’ says Alyn Ware, Co-founder of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and Global Coordinator for Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND).

‘Such a provocative, violence-based security framework runs counter to a conflict-resolution approach, and tends to correlate to similar violence-based approaches in a country’s domestic policies and other foreign policies.’

Investing in violence or in peace?

Another aspect of the report relevant to the nuclear weapons issue is the relative levels of national and global investment in violence versus investment in peace.

‘The world continues to allocate enormous resources on creating and containing violence but very little on promoting peace,’ said Ms Smolenski speaking at a Move the Nuclear Weapons Money event at the United Nations on May 7, 2019.

‘The data from the GPI and the Positive Peace Report give some indication of the incredible benefits we would reap by divesting in violence and investing in peace.’

Some of these benefits are highlighted in the SANE Act (Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditure) which PNND Co-President Senator Markey intends to re-introduce into the US Senate within the next few months.

They will also highlighted in the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money action to take place in New York in UN Disarmament Week 2019.

Over 7 days an 7 nights, activists, legislators, religious leaders, youth, artists, celebrities and others will count out $1 trillion – the nuclear weapons budget for the next 10 years – and symbolically reallocate this to better purposes including peace, health, education, climate protection, renewable energy, poverty alleviation etc…

Click here for more information or to join the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money action.

From UNFOLD ZERO. Read more here

Take Action to Help Save the Korea Peace and Denuclearization Process

UNFOLD ZERO encourages you to take action to ensure the Korean peace and denuclearization process does not unravel and return the region to the nuclear confrontation we saw as recently as 2017.

The peace process got off to a promising start with the Winter Olympic peace initiative in PyeongChang in February 2018, followed by the inter-Korean peace summits in April 2018, May 2018, and September 2018 and the North Korean/USA peace summit in Singapore 2018.

However, the most recent summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi (Vietnam) ended abruptly with no agreement and no plan for future talks.

A key area of disagreement is on the sanctions regime. North Korea wants some sanction relief in return for incremental disarmament steps they have already taken and other steps they are willing to take, but the US is not willing to grant such sanction relief this early in the process.

South Korea has supported the call for incremental sanction relief to allow humanitarian aid and limited economic cooperation between them and North Korea. Indeed, this was agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration.

Without some reciprocal good faith action by the US and the UN Security Council - such as limited sanction relief - it's quite possible that the peace process will fail. Indeed, on March 15, North Korea's vice minister for foreign affairs said that Pyongyang is considering halting the diplomatic process (See Arms Control Today, What Comes Next in U.S.-North Korean Negotiations?)

Call on the UN Security Council to Ease the Sanctions

In light of these developments, on March 21, 55 South Korean non-governmental organizations joined together in an impassioned plea to the UN Security Council to lift all sanctions related to humanitarian assistance and to support reciprocal, incremental measures for peace, especially those agreed in the Singapore summit.

The letter to the Security Council, which was coordinated by People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, notes that the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the USA have hampered not only humanitarian aid to North Korea, but also the minimal economic cooperation that both North and South Korea desire, such as the resuming operation of Mount Geumgang tours and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

'As initial steps for peace, the two Koreas need to expand meeting and cooperation among them in order to end military tension and confrontation, and thus paving way for peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,' says the letter. 'The sanctions against the DPRK, which impede humanitarian assistance and building of cooperative relationships between the two Koreas, must be relieved as soon as possible.'

Please take action by contacting UN Security Council members and supporting the calls in the letter.

Click here for a list of UN Security Council member contact emails.

Learn more at UNFOLD ZERO 

Renew Nuclear Arms Control, Don't Destroy It

The INF Treaty and the enterprise of nuclear arms control are at risk, as Andrew Lichterman of IALANA affiliate Western States Legal Foundation and LCNP's John Burroughs explain in the below IPS opinion piece. LCNP and WSLF helped develop a RootsAction-led online campaign enabling constituents to contact their representative and senators to urge action to save the treaty - please participate! As this piece explains, Congress has the authority and power to do so.

Renew Nuclear Arms Control, Don't Destroy It

Andrew Lichterman and John Burroughs

NEW YORK, Jan 2 2019 (IPS) A hard-earned lesson of the Cold War is that arms control reduces the risk of nuclear war by limiting dangerous deployments and, even more important, by creating channels of communication and understanding. But President Donald Trump and his National Security Advisor John Bolton appear to have forgotten, or never learned, that lesson.

In late October, Trump announced an intent to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo subsequently states that the US will suspend implementation of the treaty in early February. While US signals have been mixed, initiation of withdrawal at that point or soon thereafter appears likely.

Agreed to in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union, the INF Treaty prohibits the two countries from deploying both nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges between 310 and 3420 miles.

The main reason cited for withdrawal is that Russia has tested and deployed ground-landed cruise missiles the treaty prohibits. Russia denies that the missiles violate the treaty and has made its own accusations, foremost that US ballistic missile defense launchers installed in Eastern Europe could . be used to house treaty-prohibited cruise missiles.

Read More

A Divided UN General Assembly Votes on Nuclear Disarmament Resolutions

Last week (Oct 24-30) was UN Disarmament Week, when member states vote on a range of disarmament decisions and resolutions.

Decisions are binding on the United Nations. Resolutions are indications of governments' positions and intent - they are not binding but can be very authoritative and influential if supported by key countries.

The deliberations and votes took place in an environment of increasing tensions between nuclear-armed States, and also an increasing divide between non-nuclear countries and those countries which rely on nuclear weapons for their security.

Click here to read more