Past Events

April 5, 2011
April 12, 2011
April 19, 2011
April 26, 2011

Four-part seminar on "Reviving the Vision of Reykjavik." The purpose of this seminar was to refresh our understanding of nuclear weapons, to bring us up to date on how nuclear proliferation and the emergence of terrorist groups are changing the equation, and to address commonly voiced objections to moving toward a nuclear-free world. For a flyer, click here.

Peace Leadership Workshop
Paul Chappell of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation delivered a five-hour peace leadership workshop that highlighted the leadership skills needed to promote positive change in communities, countries and the world.

Why Peace is Possible and How We Can Achieve It
Paul Chappell was the featured speaker at the first public meeting of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

Screening of "Nuclear Tipping Point "
The film "Nuclear Tipping Point" was shown and was followed by a discussion about what each of us can do to help bring about this momentous change to zero nuclear weapons.

Apocalypse Never: How Abolition of Nuclear Weapons May Actually Happen
The abolition of nuclear weapons is both essential and achievable. But getting  there remains a challenge. This talk by Tad Daley presented a realistic vision of how this momentous achievement might actually be achieved.

Why Peace Is Possible and How We Can Achieve It
Like most Americans, Paul Chappell grew up thinking that peace was a naive dream. In this talk, he explained how he learned at West Point and in the military that peace is possible, and how we can take steps toward achieving it. He also explained what waging peace means and how, in the Nuclear Age, waging peace is required to ensure the survival of humanity and protect our planet.

The Greatest Nuclear Risks
Siegfried Hecker is Director Emeritus of Los Alamos National Laboratories and co-Director of Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). His talk addressed the increased potential of a limited nuclear exchange with the spread of nuclear weapons to places like South Asia. Yet, the greatest nuclear risk stems from the potential of sub-national or terrorist groups obtaining fissile materials, building an improvised nuclear device, and exploding it in a major city somewhere in the world. Hecker presented his list of the greatest threats, headed by Pakistan, and explored what we must do to manage these risks.

Nuclear Deterrence: Past, Present and Future
This talk, featuring Dr. Joseph Martz, reviewed US nuclear weapons development and its close linkage to deterrence during the Cold War. Looking forward, the shift in policy to a goal of further reductions in, and ultimate elimination of, nuclear weapons presents new challenges. It was suggested how – contrary to popular thinking – redesigning our nuclear weapons and reconfiguring the nuclear weapons complex could contribute to further reductions, and potentially, the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Free Screening of "Countdown to Zero"
Produced by Academy Award winner Lawrence Bender, whose recent credits include "Inglorious Basterds" and "An Inconvenient Truth," this stunning documentary graphically makes the case for "zero" – worldwide nuclear disarmament. Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, it was written and directed by award winner Lucy Walker (The Devil's Playground, Blind Sight). "Countdown" features international superstars Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Tony Blair, Pervez Musharraf and Valerie Plame.

Screening and Discussion of the film "Nuclear Tipping Point"

Defusing the Nuclear Threat: An Audacious Plan
Depending on nuclear weapons for our security is as risky as living in a town surrounded by thousands of nuclear power plants, yet society ignores the danger. This talk explained why the risk is so great. It then presented a novel approach for overcoming society’s inaction, where the first step depends on small groups of individuals taking initiative. This seemingly audacious plan has attracted support from George Shultz, William Perry, Donald Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor.

"Nuclear Power Without Nuclear Proliferation"
Dr. Scott Sagan of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University gave a talk at the Los Altos Youth Center. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty gives all countries the right to nuclear power for peaceful purposes. However, with the spread of nuclear power comes the spread of sensitive nuclear technology that can be applied to the development of nuclear weapons. With the ever-growing demands for energy, how can we guarantee nuclear nonproliferation?

"Working Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons"
President Reagan's Secretary of State George Shultz and Stanford physicist Sidney Drell had a conversation about steps toward nuclear disarmament with New York Times editor Philip Taubman. Although this was not an NAPF-SV-sponsored event, it was an interesting opportunity to hear the views of former Cold-War warriors who are now advocating ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

"Inside the Minds of Nuclear Warriors"
The speaker was Dr. Lynn Eden, a professor of sociology at Stanford University, Associate Director for Research for the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford, and author of the prize-winning book "Whole World on Fire". In addition to providing a view into the process of planning for nuclear war that the public rarely hears, she answered a wide variety of questions from a clearly engaged audience for close to an hour.