TEN
REASONS TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS
by David Krieger, June 21, 2003
1. Fulfill Existing Obligations.
The nuclear weapons states have made solemn promises to the
international community to negotiate in good faith to achieve nuclear
disarmament. The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China
accepted this obligation when they signed the Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), and extended their promises at the 1995 NPT Review
and Extension Conference and again at the 2000 NPT Review Conference.
India and Pakistan, which are not signatories of the NPT, have committed
themselves to abolish their nuclear arsenals if the other nuclear
weapons states agree to do so. The only nuclear weapons state that
has not made this promise is Israel, and surely it could be convinced
to do so if the other nuclear weapons states agreed to the elimination
of their nuclear arsenals. The International Court of Justice, the
world's highest court, unanimously highlighted the obligation to
nuclear disarmament in its 1996 Opinion: "There exists an obligation
to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading
to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective
international control." This means an obligation to reduce the world's
nuclear arsenals to zero.
2. Stop Nuclear Weapons Proliferation. The failure of nuclear
weapons states to act to eliminate their nuclear arsenals will likely
result in the proliferation of nuclear weapons to other nations.
If nuclear weapons states continue to maintain the position that
nuclear weapons preserve their security, it is only reasonable that
other nations with less powerful military forces, such as North
Korea, will decide that their security should also be maintained
by nuclear arsenals. Without substantial progress toward nuclear
disarmament, the Non-Proliferation Treaty will be in jeopardy when
the parties to the treaty meet for the NPT Review Conference in
the year 2005.
3. Prevent Nuclear Terrorism. The very existence of nuclear
weapons and their production endanger our safety because they are
susceptible to terrorist exploitation. Nuclear weapons and
production sites all over the world are vulnerable to terrorist
attack or to theft of weapons or weapons-grade materials.
Russia, due to the breakup of the former Soviet Union, has a weakened
command and control system, making their substantial arsenal especially
vulnerable to terrorists. In addition, nuclear weapons are not helpful
in defending against or responding to terrorism because nuclear
weapons cannot target a group that is unlocatable.
4. Avoid Nuclear Accidents. The risk of accidental war through
miscommunication, miscalculation or malfunction is especially dangerous
given the thousands of nuclear warheads deployed and on high alert
status. Given the short time periods available in which to make
decisions about whether or not a state is under nuclear attack,
and whether to launch a retaliatory response, the risk of miscalculation
is high. In addition, the breakup of the former Soviet Union has
weakened Russia's early warning system, since many parts of this
system were located outside of Russia, and this increases the likelihood
of a nuclear accident.
5. Cease the Immorality of Threatening Mass Murder. It is
highly immoral to base the security of a nation on the threat to
destroy cities and potentially murder millions of people. This immoral
policy is named nuclear deterrence, and it is relied upon by all
nuclear weapons states. Nuclear deterrence is a dangerous policy.
Its implementation places humanity and most forms of life in jeopardy
of annihilation.
6. Reverse the Concentration of Power. Nuclear weapons undermine
democracy by giving a few individuals the power to destroy the world
as we know it. No one should have this much power. If these individuals
make a mistake or misjudgment, everyone in the world will pay for
it.
7. Promote Democratic Openness. Decisions about nuclear weapons
have been made largely in secrecy with little involvement from the
public. In the United States, for example, nuclear weapons policy
is set forth in highly classified documents, which are not made
available to the public and come to public attention only by leaks.
On this most important of all issues facing humanity, there is no
informed consent of the people.
8. Halt the Drain on Resources. Nuclear weapons have drained
resources, including scientific resources, from other more productive
uses. A 1998 study by the Brookings Institution found that the United
States alone had spent more than $5.5 trillion on nuclear weapons
programs between 1940 and 1996. The United States continues to spend
some $25-$35 billion annually on research, development and maintenance
of its nuclear arsenal. All of these misspent resources represent
lost opportunities for improving the health, education and welfare
of the people of the world.
9. Heed Warnings by Distinguished Leaders. Distinguished
leaders throughout the world, including generals, admirals, heads
of state and government, scientists and Nobel Peace Laureates, have
warned of the dangers inherent in relying upon nuclear weapons for
security. These warnings have gone unheeded by the leaders of nuclear
weapons states.
10. Meet Our Responsibility. We each have a responsibility
to our children, grandchildren and future generations to end the
threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity and all life. This
is a responsibility unique in human history. If we do not
accept responsibility to speak out and act for a world free of nuclear
weapons, who will?
