The Voices of Victims of Nuclear Weapons Testing
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, 30 November 2023 (IDN) — Speaking at a side event during a weeklong meeting of States Parties on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director General of Peace and Global Issues, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), warned that the past two months have seen the outbreak of wide-scale violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip—and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine—both of which continue to heighten the “risk that nuclear weapons could actually be used.” (P24) HINDI | JAPANESE | THAI
Ukraine War: A Steppingstone to Something Worse and More All-embracing?
By Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden | 29 November 2023 (IDN) — Trotsky, the one-time close comrade of Lenin, reportedly said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”. In a time when there is talk of using nuclear weapons, we should pause to think about this. (P23) INDONESIAN | JAPANESE
A Nuclear Attack by Design — or by Accident — Must Never Happen
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 27 November 2023 (IDN) — As two of the world’s nuclear powers—Russia and Israel—are engaged in two devastating conflicts, a lingering question remains: could the military tension looming over both countries trigger a nuclear attack either by design or by accident? (P22) FRENCH | JAPANESE I SPANISH
The Nuclear Arms Control Architecture is Collapsing
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 25 November 2023 (IDN) — A weeklong meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), takes place in the rare context of two devastating conflicts involving nuclear powers: Russia vs. non-nuclear Ukraine and Israel vs non-nuclear Hamas, along with the growing nuclear threats from North Korea.
A Middle East Nuclear Free Zone Remains Grounded
By Thalif Deen*
UNITED NATIONS | 12 November 2023 (IDN) — A longstanding proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone (NWFZs) in the politically and militarily volatile Middle East has been kicked around the corridors and committee rooms of the United Nations since 1995.
Over the last 28 years, the proposal has failed to get off the ground—and remains suspended in mid-air.
Jayantha Dhanapala: A Leader for Nuclear Disarmament
By Randy Rydell
Remembering Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, at the UN First Committee’s Side Event hosted on 7 November by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) at the United Nations.
UNITED NATIONS | 9 November 2023 (IDN) — I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak today and to meet once again with several of my former colleagues in the then-Department for Disarmament Affairs.
Nuclear Tensions Loom Over War Zones
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 9 November 2023 (IDN) — The two ongoing military conflicts in Europe and the Middle East are pitting two nuclear powers—Russia and Israel—against a non-nuclear state (Ukraine) and a non-nuclear militant armed force (Hamas).
The military might is overwhelmingly in favor of both Russia and Israel in the two devastating battles, which may ultimately end with no winners.
Don’t Even Think About Starting a Nuclear War
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 3 November 2023 (IDN) — In New York City, where streets in mid-town Manhattan are routinely congested and the traffic flow incredibly overwhelming, there is a warning sign outside some buildings that says it all: DON’T EVEN THINK OF PARKING HERE.
If you do, either your vehicle will be towed away or you will be subject to a heavy fine.
Russia’s Decision to Revoke Ratification of CTBT Comes Under Fire
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 1 November 2023 (IDN) — A decision by the Russian parliament to pass a bill on 18 October to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) has come under heavy fire.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he was “dismayed” by the Duma’s decision to revoke ratification of the CTBT. (P21) ITALIAN | JAPANESE
The U.S. Is Building a New Nuclear 'Gravity Bomb', Pentagon Announces
The B61-13 is the latest in a long line of B61 variants
WASHINGTON, D.C. 31 October 2023 (IDN | TNW) — The Pentagon has announced it is making a new nuclear “gravity bomb.” If approved by Congress, the B61-13 will replace the 1980s era B61-7, according to the announcement on 27 October.
