Sat February 4, 2012
Cameron David Harrington
Mutually Assured Security in a Nuclear Free World
By Cameron Harrington, Toronto (Canada) – December 2009
The venerable U.S. journalist I.F. Stone once wrote that ““The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins.” Such has clearly been the case for decades as the global nuclear abolition movement lost and lost and lost.
Since the first deployment of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, where almost 200,000 Japanese citizens perished instantly, nuclear weapons have only increased in destructive power and spread from country to country. In fact, by 1987, eight countries held an estimated 68,000 nuclear weapons. Madness reigned.
Now though, the world is on the precipice of something great and achievable as the progressive voice of reason is proving to be effective. On April 5, 2009, in a momentous statement made to an audience of 20,000 in Prague, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged, “America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”
Commitments made that same week by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev indicated that there would be increased cooperation between the two countries to achieve a “nuclear weapons-free world.”
It is assurances like this that are signaling that a broad transformation that has been afoot at all levels of society. Indeed, new movements driven by politicians, academics, NGOS, students and others are supporting the call for global nuclear abolition.
Defying the logic of a nuclear deterrence, mutual assured destruction mentality that dates back to the Cold War and contributed to the perceived need to have stockpiles of nuclear weapons, a new global conscience against the tyranny of nuclear weapons is reaching critical mass.
It was this transformative spirit that brought high profile participants and other invited guests from around the world to Toronto, Canada on November 13-15, 2009 for the Zero Nuclear Weapons Forum. The forum was representative of a global groundswell calling for a strengthening of the non-proliferation regime with focused efforts at nuclear disarmament, and in the end, a “Global Zero World.”
Mayor Akiba of Hiroshima opened the conference by urging citizens to “pay more attention to the speed at which the world seems to be changing.” He proclaimed “unless we humbly see the reality of the speed of change, we may all be obsolete when we finalize our plans for any disarmament effort.”
Mayor Akiba was only one of many high-profile participants, demonstrating the urgency with which all levels of government and civil society view the nuclear threat. Harvard Professor Jonathon Schell, Anthony Cary, British High Commissioner to Canada, and former Canadian Senator and Ambassador for Disarmament, Douglas Roche all spoke about the desire for concrete disarmament action.
While speakers remarked that the road to nuclear abolition would be long and arduous, they emphasized that it is incumbent among all citizens of the world – especially the youth – to ensure that the only road to travel is one of peace and total disarmament.
Getting young people on-board in the struggle to sustain and push the abolition movement further was emphasized during many of the panel discussions. Given that even the most optimistic timelines hold 2020 as the earliest date for a zero nuclear weapons world, participants consistently spoke of the importance of youth voices to be engaged, as this is their world to inherit. Youth movements cannot grow cynical and disillusioned in this quest. There is simply too much at stake.
The consequences of inertia and regression are immense. There is still a very real possibility that Iran will develop a nuclear weapons program, and that North Korea will continue to enlarge its burgeoning nuclear arsenal.
Further, there have been verified reports of individuals and groups attempting to procure nuclear materials in an attempt to construct “dirty bombs”, whether for profit or ideology. Young people must meet these challenges head-on as they are the ones who will determine the international security landscape in the next decade.
Now is clearly the time for the youth’s voices to be heard. While for decades the nuclear abolition movement met with derision and failure, with the election of Obama, this is no longer the case. Support for disarmament is at an all-time high. The movement has won. And it must continue to win and win and win.
Leave a Reply
world headlines
U.S. headlines
editorial headlines
