The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Newsletter
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www.wagingpeace.org/menu/resources/sunflower.
Issue #148 - November 2009
The Sunflower is a free monthly e-newsletter providing information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues related to global security. Help us spread the word and forward The Sunflower to friends.
Donate at www.wagingpeace.org/donate to help sustain this valuable resource.
Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter at www.wagingpeace.org/subscribe.
* Perspectives
o Preventing Omnicide by David Krieger
o Making a Career of Humanity by Paul Chappell
o Hiroshima Beckons Obama by John Einarsen
* US Nuclear Weapons Policy
o German Officials Want US Nuclear Weapons Removed from Germany
o Cleanup of US Nuclear Weapons Sites at $100 Billion
* Nuclear Disarmament
o Peace Prizes Awarded for Nuclear Disarmament Work
o French Statesmen Call for Global Nuclear Disarmament
o Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2020 Olympic Bid
o Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear Weapons Ban
* Nuclear Proliferation
o Iran In Nuclear Talks
* Nuclear Insanity
o Russia Maintains Nuclear First Use Policy
o Iraq Plans New Nuclear Reactor Program
* Nuclear Labs
o Earthquake Poses Risk to Los Alamos Area
* Military-Industrial Complex
o US Increases Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb
* Resources
o The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program
o International Peace Bureau Conference in Washington, DC
o New Briefing Paper from Middle Powers Initiative
* Foundation Activities
o Women for Peace
o Peace Leadership Program Update
o International Youth Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament
* Quotes
Perspectives
Preventing Omnicide
by David Krieger
Omnicide is a word coined by philosopher John Somerville. It is an extension of the concepts of suicide and genocide. It means the death of all, the total negation and destruction of all life. Omnicide is suicide for all. It is the genocide of humanity writ large.
Can you imagine omnicide? No people. No animals. No trees. No friendships. No one to view the mountains, or the oceans, or the stars. No one to write a poem, or sing a song, or hug a baby, or laugh or cry. With no present, there can be no memory of the past, nor possibility of a future. There is nothing. Nuclear weapons make possible the end of all, of omnicide.
Click here to read more.
Making a Career of Humanity
by Paul Chappell
Martin Luther King Jr. said no matter what profession you choose in life, you should make a career of humanity. Whether you are a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer, you should dedicate some time to building a more humane and peaceful world for yourself, all people on the planet, and future generations. By making a career of humanity, King said this would make you a better teacher, a better doctor, a better lawyer.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Peace Leadership Program is designed to help people make a career of humanity. The program offers innovative training in leadership, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution that can serve you for the rest of your life. The program also offers inspiration, guidance, resources, and a community of people dedicated to creating a brighter future in order to make your career of humanity a rewarding, meaningful, and fulfilling journey.
Click here to read more.
Hiroshima Beckons Obama
by John Einarsen
For the past 64 years the name “Hiroshima” has conjured a nightmare vision for all humanity: the unthinkable specter of instantaneous atomic annihilation. Only by personally visiting Hiroshima or Nagasaki, the two cities that have experienced atomic bombing, can one begin to grasp the threat posed by the world's present arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Every visitor to Hiroshima and its Peace Museum comes face to face with a history from which we must all learn - or risk repeating. Who better to visit Hiroshima, witness its message firsthand, and speak to the world's nuclear fears, than the commander in chief of one of the world's largest nuclear-equipped militaries?
Click here to read more.
To sign a petition to President Obama asking him to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki on his upcoming trip to Japan, click here.
US Nuclear Weapons Policy
German Officials Want US Nuclear Weapons Removed from Germany
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has called “for a country free of nuclear weapons,” referring to the estimated 20 US nuclear weapons remaining on German soil through their NATO partnership.
Mr. Westerwelle, leader of the Free Democrats party, has made the removal of US nuclear weapons his top foreign policy priority. It is a popular position among the German public. Westerwelle is expected to ask for the removal of the nuclear weapons when he visits the United States in November.
There are currently about 200 US nuclear weapons in Europe, based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Dempsey, Judy, “Ridding Germany of US Nuclear Weapons,” The New York Times, October 28, 2009.
Cleanup of US Nuclear Weapons Sites at $100 Billion
During the Cold War, the deceptively-named Fernald Feed Materials Production Center in Southern Ohio produced uranium rods to make plutonium for nuclear weapons. The production process left behind an extremely toxic legacy; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 340 tons of uranium were released by the plant. Radiation levels around the site, in both land and water, remain many times above “acceptable” levels.
Over $4.4 billion has been spent on the containment and cleanup of the Fernald site thus far. Across the country, over $100 billion has already been spent to deal with the toxic legacy of the nuclear arms race.
Vartabedian, Ralph, “Toxic Legacy of the Cold War,” Los Angeles Times, October 20, 2009.
Nuclear Disarmament
Peace Prizes Awarded for Nuclear Disarmament Work
Two prestigious peace prizes have been awarded to individuals working for a world free of nuclear weapons.
The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Barack Obama primarily for his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”
The 2009 Right Livelihood Award, commonly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” was awarded to Alyn Ware, International Coordinator of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Mr. Ware received the honor “for his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons.”
French Statesmen Call for Global Nuclear Disarmament
Three French statesmen, Michel Rocard (Prime Minister 1988-1991), Alain Juppe (Prime Minister 1997-1997) and Alain Richard (Defense Minister 2002-2007), have issued an urgent call for global nuclear disarmament in the leading French newspaper Le Monde.
The authors state, “The success of non-proliferation is a necessary precondition of peace, and rests upon urgent and much more radical initiatives being taken by the five nuclear weapons states recognized by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They must abandon any development of new nuclear weapons; offer more initiatives and take more political risks to overcome major regional political crises, and engage in a process leading to the structured elimination of nuclear weapons, and the three de facto nuclear powers [India, Pakistan, Israel] must be associated with this process.”
Juppé, Alain, Bernard Norlain, Alain Richard and Michel Rocard, “Pour un désarmement nucléaire mondial, seule réponse a la prolifération anarchique,” Le Monde, October 15, 2009. Click here for an English translation of the article.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2020 Olympic Bid
Hiroshima Mayor and NAPF Advisor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue have announced a joint bid for the 2020 Olympic Games that will emphasize world peace.
Mayor Akiba said that he firmly believes the world can abolish nuclear weapons by 2020 and suggested holding the Olympics that year in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to celebrate.
“Hiroshima, Nagasaki to Bid for 2020 Olympics,” Associated Press, October 11, 2009.
Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear Weapons Ban
Belgian Senator Philippe Mahoux has proposed a ban on the manufacturing, fixing, sale, shipping and possession of nuclear arms in the European country. Full passage of the proposal is not possible until May 2010. If it is passed, it would impact the estimated 20 US nuclear weapons currently in Belgium under current NATO sharing agreements.
“Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear-Weapon Ban,” Global Security Newswire, October 16, 2009.
Nuclear Proliferation
Iran In Nuclear Talks
Iran appears to have rejected a proposal put forward by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei that would have put much of Iran's nuclear materials under international control.
A central element of the plan, conceived by the Obama administration, is that Iran must ship the enriched uranium to France and Russia in one batch by the end of the year. Instead, the presentation by Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh suggested that Iran would ship out its uranium in batches, swapping it for new material on a continuous basis, diplomats said. That would negate the main attraction of the proposal for the major powers dealing with Iran, because it would mean its stockpile of enriched uranium would not be significantly reduced.
Kessler, Glenn and Thomas Erdbrink, “Iran Counters UN on Uranium Plan,” The Washington Post, October 30, 2009.
Nuclear Insanity
Russia Maintains Nuclear First Use Policy
Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council, has indicated that Russia's revised military doctrine will explicitly allow for the first use of nuclear weapons. Patrushev said, “In conditions critical for national security one should not also exclude a preventive nuclear strike on the aggressor.”
The revised military doctrine is expected to be presented to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev before the end of 2009.
“Russia Reserves Pre-emptive Nuclear Strike Right,” Reuters, October 13, 2009.
Iraq Plans New Nuclear Reactor Program
The Iraqi government has approached the French nuclear industry about rebuilding at least one of the reactors that was bombed at the start of the first Gulf war. The government has also contacted the International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations to seek ways around resolutions that ban Iraq's re-entry into the nuclear field.
Iraqi Science and Technology Minister Raid Fahmi has insisted that a new Iraqi nuclear program would be solely for peaceful applications, “including the health sector, agriculture...and water treatment.”
However, many people fear that a nuclear reactor would be a tempting target for those who wish to cause significant death and destruction. Additionally, after widespread looting during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, much nuclear material remains missing from the site of the Tuwaitha nuclear research center.
Chulov, Martin, “Iraq Goes Nuclear With Plans for New Reactor Programme,” The Guardian, October 27, 2009.
Nuclear Labs
Earthquake Poses Risk to Los Alamos Area
An independent safety oversight board has warned that a major earthquake could cause a catastrophic fire, triggering a massive radiation leak at the main plutonium laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The plutonium laboratory building, known as Technical Area-55, is the center for plutonium operations at the Los Alamos complex. It is where plutonium cores are currently manufactured for use in nuclear weapons.
Korte, Tim, “Study: Quake Could Pose Risk to Los Alamos Lab,” Associated Press, October 27, 2009.
Military-Industrial Complex
US Increases Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb
The United States has awarded a $51.9 million contract to Boeing in a renewed commitment to the production and deployment of the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)” bunker buster bomb. Each bomb carries over 5,000 pounds of explosives and is designed to destroy hidden weapons bunkers buried deep underground.
The MOP would become the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. It is designed to drill through earth and reinforced concrete before exploding.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell denied that they have specific targets in mind for the weapon. He said, “This is just a capability that we think is necessary given the world we live in.”
“US Boosts Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb,” CBC News, October 13, 2009.
Resources
The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program
John Steinbach has written a new report titled “The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program.” The report discusses the origins and continued existence of Israel's estimated stockpile of 200 nuclear weapons.
The paper was published by The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, and is available on the Foundation's Nuclear Files website.
Click here to download the report.
International Peace Bureau Conference in Washington, DC
The International Peace Bureau (IPB), of which the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a member, will hold its annual conference in Washington, DC from November 14-18. Participants will examine campaigning priorities and options, explore new ways to challenge militarism and build international connections and partnerships.
The theme of the conference is Rolling Back Militarism: A Task for the Global Movement. For more information and to register for the conference, click here.
New Briefing Paper from Middle Powers Initiative
John Burroughs, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, has written a new briefing paper for the Middle Powers Initiative titled Making Good on the Promises: From the Security Council Summit to the 2010 NPT Review.
The briefing paper examines the crucial moment between the UN Security Council Summit in September 2009 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010, and what middle power countries can do to promote nuclear disarmament during this period.
Click here to download a copy of the briefing paper.
Foundation Activities
Women for Peace
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will hold its 26th Annual Evening for Peace celebration on Saturday, November 7 at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, California.
Riane Eisler will receive the Foundation's 2009 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award for her work as an author, social scientist and lawyer to build world peace.
Judith Mayotte will receive the Foundation's 2009 World Citizenship Award for her outstanding lifetime of dedication to international refugee issues.
David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “Women are central to achieving and maintaining peace. We need more women, such as those we are honoring, to be leaders in the quest for peace.”
Click here for more information on the 2009 Evening for Peace. A limited number of tickets for the dinner and awards ceremony are still available by calling the Foundation at (805) 965-3443.
Peace Leadership Program Update
Paul Chappell, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Peace Leadership Program Director, has had a busy first month on the job. He traveled to Milwaukee for the national conference of the Peace and Justice Studies Association, where he met many highly motivated students and faculty members working for peace across the United States. Paul also traveled to Ohio, speaking to over 1,200 people about the Peace Leadership Program at various universities and the International Peace Museum in Dayton.
The training that people get in waging war is much better than the training people get in waging peace. The Foundation's Peace Leadership Program will bridge this gap by giving people essential training in peace leadership, strategy and tactics. Paul is developing an empowering program that can be used in high schools and colleges throughout the country. The same leadership training that he received at West Point will be used to teach a new generation of peace leaders how to wage peace. For more information or to sign up for the program, click here.
International Youth Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament
On October 26 and 27, young people from Santa Barbara, Philadelphia, Moscow and Mexico City came together via video conference to discuss how young people can promote nuclear disarmament in their own communities and worldwide.
The dialogue also featured expert input from Hans Blix, David Krieger, Alyn Ware and others.
We hope that this will be the first of many global dialogues to help young people discover new ways to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons.
Quotes
“Nuclear-weapons-free zones are the best example of trust, confidence and affirmation that peace and security are possible without nuclear weapons.”
-- Vatican Foreign Affairs Minister Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. He went on to advocate the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.
“It will be difficult to deny the general direction that is moving toward no first use of nuclear weapons.”
-- Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada
“We and Russia deploy far more nuclear weapons than we need or could ever potentially use without destroying our ways of life.”
-- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“While we sleep, death is awake. Death keeps watch from...more than 23,000 nuclear warheads, like 23,000 eyes open and waiting for a moment of carelessness. [World leaders] must make good on the promise of a future where - finally - we can sleep in peace.”
-- Oscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Peace Laureate and President of Costa Rica
Editorial Team
Mozelle Cardenas
David Krieger
Vicki Stevenson
Rick Wayman
www.wagingpeace.org/menu/resources/sunflower.
Issue #148 - November 2009
The Sunflower is a free monthly e-newsletter providing information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues related to global security. Help us spread the word and forward The Sunflower to friends.
Donate at www.wagingpeace.org/donate to help sustain this valuable resource.
Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter at www.wagingpeace.org/subscribe.
* Perspectives
o Preventing Omnicide by David Krieger
o Making a Career of Humanity by Paul Chappell
o Hiroshima Beckons Obama by John Einarsen
* US Nuclear Weapons Policy
o German Officials Want US Nuclear Weapons Removed from Germany
o Cleanup of US Nuclear Weapons Sites at $100 Billion
* Nuclear Disarmament
o Peace Prizes Awarded for Nuclear Disarmament Work
o French Statesmen Call for Global Nuclear Disarmament
o Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2020 Olympic Bid
o Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear Weapons Ban
* Nuclear Proliferation
o Iran In Nuclear Talks
* Nuclear Insanity
o Russia Maintains Nuclear First Use Policy
o Iraq Plans New Nuclear Reactor Program
* Nuclear Labs
o Earthquake Poses Risk to Los Alamos Area
* Military-Industrial Complex
o US Increases Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb
* Resources
o The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program
o International Peace Bureau Conference in Washington, DC
o New Briefing Paper from Middle Powers Initiative
* Foundation Activities
o Women for Peace
o Peace Leadership Program Update
o International Youth Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament
* Quotes
Perspectives
Preventing Omnicide
by David Krieger
Omnicide is a word coined by philosopher John Somerville. It is an extension of the concepts of suicide and genocide. It means the death of all, the total negation and destruction of all life. Omnicide is suicide for all. It is the genocide of humanity writ large.
Can you imagine omnicide? No people. No animals. No trees. No friendships. No one to view the mountains, or the oceans, or the stars. No one to write a poem, or sing a song, or hug a baby, or laugh or cry. With no present, there can be no memory of the past, nor possibility of a future. There is nothing. Nuclear weapons make possible the end of all, of omnicide.
Click here to read more.
Making a Career of Humanity
by Paul Chappell
Martin Luther King Jr. said no matter what profession you choose in life, you should make a career of humanity. Whether you are a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer, you should dedicate some time to building a more humane and peaceful world for yourself, all people on the planet, and future generations. By making a career of humanity, King said this would make you a better teacher, a better doctor, a better lawyer.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Peace Leadership Program is designed to help people make a career of humanity. The program offers innovative training in leadership, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution that can serve you for the rest of your life. The program also offers inspiration, guidance, resources, and a community of people dedicated to creating a brighter future in order to make your career of humanity a rewarding, meaningful, and fulfilling journey.
Click here to read more.
Hiroshima Beckons Obama
by John Einarsen
For the past 64 years the name “Hiroshima” has conjured a nightmare vision for all humanity: the unthinkable specter of instantaneous atomic annihilation. Only by personally visiting Hiroshima or Nagasaki, the two cities that have experienced atomic bombing, can one begin to grasp the threat posed by the world's present arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Every visitor to Hiroshima and its Peace Museum comes face to face with a history from which we must all learn - or risk repeating. Who better to visit Hiroshima, witness its message firsthand, and speak to the world's nuclear fears, than the commander in chief of one of the world's largest nuclear-equipped militaries?
Click here to read more.
To sign a petition to President Obama asking him to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki on his upcoming trip to Japan, click here.
US Nuclear Weapons Policy
German Officials Want US Nuclear Weapons Removed from Germany
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has called “for a country free of nuclear weapons,” referring to the estimated 20 US nuclear weapons remaining on German soil through their NATO partnership.
Mr. Westerwelle, leader of the Free Democrats party, has made the removal of US nuclear weapons his top foreign policy priority. It is a popular position among the German public. Westerwelle is expected to ask for the removal of the nuclear weapons when he visits the United States in November.
There are currently about 200 US nuclear weapons in Europe, based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Dempsey, Judy, “Ridding Germany of US Nuclear Weapons,” The New York Times, October 28, 2009.
Cleanup of US Nuclear Weapons Sites at $100 Billion
During the Cold War, the deceptively-named Fernald Feed Materials Production Center in Southern Ohio produced uranium rods to make plutonium for nuclear weapons. The production process left behind an extremely toxic legacy; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 340 tons of uranium were released by the plant. Radiation levels around the site, in both land and water, remain many times above “acceptable” levels.
Over $4.4 billion has been spent on the containment and cleanup of the Fernald site thus far. Across the country, over $100 billion has already been spent to deal with the toxic legacy of the nuclear arms race.
Vartabedian, Ralph, “Toxic Legacy of the Cold War,” Los Angeles Times, October 20, 2009.
Nuclear Disarmament
Peace Prizes Awarded for Nuclear Disarmament Work
Two prestigious peace prizes have been awarded to individuals working for a world free of nuclear weapons.
The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Barack Obama primarily for his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”
The 2009 Right Livelihood Award, commonly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” was awarded to Alyn Ware, International Coordinator of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Mr. Ware received the honor “for his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons.”
French Statesmen Call for Global Nuclear Disarmament
Three French statesmen, Michel Rocard (Prime Minister 1988-1991), Alain Juppe (Prime Minister 1997-1997) and Alain Richard (Defense Minister 2002-2007), have issued an urgent call for global nuclear disarmament in the leading French newspaper Le Monde.
The authors state, “The success of non-proliferation is a necessary precondition of peace, and rests upon urgent and much more radical initiatives being taken by the five nuclear weapons states recognized by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They must abandon any development of new nuclear weapons; offer more initiatives and take more political risks to overcome major regional political crises, and engage in a process leading to the structured elimination of nuclear weapons, and the three de facto nuclear powers [India, Pakistan, Israel] must be associated with this process.”
Juppé, Alain, Bernard Norlain, Alain Richard and Michel Rocard, “Pour un désarmement nucléaire mondial, seule réponse a la prolifération anarchique,” Le Monde, October 15, 2009. Click here for an English translation of the article.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2020 Olympic Bid
Hiroshima Mayor and NAPF Advisor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue have announced a joint bid for the 2020 Olympic Games that will emphasize world peace.
Mayor Akiba said that he firmly believes the world can abolish nuclear weapons by 2020 and suggested holding the Olympics that year in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to celebrate.
“Hiroshima, Nagasaki to Bid for 2020 Olympics,” Associated Press, October 11, 2009.
Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear Weapons Ban
Belgian Senator Philippe Mahoux has proposed a ban on the manufacturing, fixing, sale, shipping and possession of nuclear arms in the European country. Full passage of the proposal is not possible until May 2010. If it is passed, it would impact the estimated 20 US nuclear weapons currently in Belgium under current NATO sharing agreements.
“Belgian Senate to Consider Nuclear-Weapon Ban,” Global Security Newswire, October 16, 2009.
Nuclear Proliferation
Iran In Nuclear Talks
Iran appears to have rejected a proposal put forward by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei that would have put much of Iran's nuclear materials under international control.
A central element of the plan, conceived by the Obama administration, is that Iran must ship the enriched uranium to France and Russia in one batch by the end of the year. Instead, the presentation by Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh suggested that Iran would ship out its uranium in batches, swapping it for new material on a continuous basis, diplomats said. That would negate the main attraction of the proposal for the major powers dealing with Iran, because it would mean its stockpile of enriched uranium would not be significantly reduced.
Kessler, Glenn and Thomas Erdbrink, “Iran Counters UN on Uranium Plan,” The Washington Post, October 30, 2009.
Nuclear Insanity
Russia Maintains Nuclear First Use Policy
Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council, has indicated that Russia's revised military doctrine will explicitly allow for the first use of nuclear weapons. Patrushev said, “In conditions critical for national security one should not also exclude a preventive nuclear strike on the aggressor.”
The revised military doctrine is expected to be presented to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev before the end of 2009.
“Russia Reserves Pre-emptive Nuclear Strike Right,” Reuters, October 13, 2009.
Iraq Plans New Nuclear Reactor Program
The Iraqi government has approached the French nuclear industry about rebuilding at least one of the reactors that was bombed at the start of the first Gulf war. The government has also contacted the International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations to seek ways around resolutions that ban Iraq's re-entry into the nuclear field.
Iraqi Science and Technology Minister Raid Fahmi has insisted that a new Iraqi nuclear program would be solely for peaceful applications, “including the health sector, agriculture...and water treatment.”
However, many people fear that a nuclear reactor would be a tempting target for those who wish to cause significant death and destruction. Additionally, after widespread looting during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, much nuclear material remains missing from the site of the Tuwaitha nuclear research center.
Chulov, Martin, “Iraq Goes Nuclear With Plans for New Reactor Programme,” The Guardian, October 27, 2009.
Nuclear Labs
Earthquake Poses Risk to Los Alamos Area
An independent safety oversight board has warned that a major earthquake could cause a catastrophic fire, triggering a massive radiation leak at the main plutonium laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The plutonium laboratory building, known as Technical Area-55, is the center for plutonium operations at the Los Alamos complex. It is where plutonium cores are currently manufactured for use in nuclear weapons.
Korte, Tim, “Study: Quake Could Pose Risk to Los Alamos Lab,” Associated Press, October 27, 2009.
Military-Industrial Complex
US Increases Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb
The United States has awarded a $51.9 million contract to Boeing in a renewed commitment to the production and deployment of the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)” bunker buster bomb. Each bomb carries over 5,000 pounds of explosives and is designed to destroy hidden weapons bunkers buried deep underground.
The MOP would become the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. It is designed to drill through earth and reinforced concrete before exploding.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell denied that they have specific targets in mind for the weapon. He said, “This is just a capability that we think is necessary given the world we live in.”
“US Boosts Spending on Bunker-Buster Bomb,” CBC News, October 13, 2009.
Resources
The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program
John Steinbach has written a new report titled “The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program.” The report discusses the origins and continued existence of Israel's estimated stockpile of 200 nuclear weapons.
The paper was published by The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, and is available on the Foundation's Nuclear Files website.
Click here to download the report.
International Peace Bureau Conference in Washington, DC
The International Peace Bureau (IPB), of which the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a member, will hold its annual conference in Washington, DC from November 14-18. Participants will examine campaigning priorities and options, explore new ways to challenge militarism and build international connections and partnerships.
The theme of the conference is Rolling Back Militarism: A Task for the Global Movement. For more information and to register for the conference, click here.
New Briefing Paper from Middle Powers Initiative
John Burroughs, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, has written a new briefing paper for the Middle Powers Initiative titled Making Good on the Promises: From the Security Council Summit to the 2010 NPT Review.
The briefing paper examines the crucial moment between the UN Security Council Summit in September 2009 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010, and what middle power countries can do to promote nuclear disarmament during this period.
Click here to download a copy of the briefing paper.
Foundation Activities
Women for Peace
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will hold its 26th Annual Evening for Peace celebration on Saturday, November 7 at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, California.
Riane Eisler will receive the Foundation's 2009 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award for her work as an author, social scientist and lawyer to build world peace.
Judith Mayotte will receive the Foundation's 2009 World Citizenship Award for her outstanding lifetime of dedication to international refugee issues.
David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “Women are central to achieving and maintaining peace. We need more women, such as those we are honoring, to be leaders in the quest for peace.”
Click here for more information on the 2009 Evening for Peace. A limited number of tickets for the dinner and awards ceremony are still available by calling the Foundation at (805) 965-3443.
Peace Leadership Program Update
Paul Chappell, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Peace Leadership Program Director, has had a busy first month on the job. He traveled to Milwaukee for the national conference of the Peace and Justice Studies Association, where he met many highly motivated students and faculty members working for peace across the United States. Paul also traveled to Ohio, speaking to over 1,200 people about the Peace Leadership Program at various universities and the International Peace Museum in Dayton.
The training that people get in waging war is much better than the training people get in waging peace. The Foundation's Peace Leadership Program will bridge this gap by giving people essential training in peace leadership, strategy and tactics. Paul is developing an empowering program that can be used in high schools and colleges throughout the country. The same leadership training that he received at West Point will be used to teach a new generation of peace leaders how to wage peace. For more information or to sign up for the program, click here.
International Youth Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament
On October 26 and 27, young people from Santa Barbara, Philadelphia, Moscow and Mexico City came together via video conference to discuss how young people can promote nuclear disarmament in their own communities and worldwide.
The dialogue also featured expert input from Hans Blix, David Krieger, Alyn Ware and others.
We hope that this will be the first of many global dialogues to help young people discover new ways to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons.
Quotes
“Nuclear-weapons-free zones are the best example of trust, confidence and affirmation that peace and security are possible without nuclear weapons.”
-- Vatican Foreign Affairs Minister Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. He went on to advocate the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.
“It will be difficult to deny the general direction that is moving toward no first use of nuclear weapons.”
-- Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada
“We and Russia deploy far more nuclear weapons than we need or could ever potentially use without destroying our ways of life.”
-- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“While we sleep, death is awake. Death keeps watch from...more than 23,000 nuclear warheads, like 23,000 eyes open and waiting for a moment of carelessness. [World leaders] must make good on the promise of a future where - finally - we can sleep in peace.”
-- Oscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Peace Laureate and President of Costa Rica
Editorial Team
Mozelle Cardenas
David Krieger
Vicki Stevenson
Rick Wayman
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