Think Outside the Bomb Principles of Unity

From August 15-21, 2005, young adults from all regions of the United States, as well as representatives from Kazakhstan and the Marshall Islands gathered in Santa Barbara, California for the first-of-its-kind “Think Outside the Bomb” National Youth Conference on Nuclear Issues. Inspired by the need for a new generation of leaders working toward a nuclear-free world, the participants agreed to establish a diverse network of individuals and organizations for the purpose of communication, interaction, support, and to collect and disseminate resources through the internet and other channels.

Aware of the historical context and the current urgency to address the devastating effects of the nuclear complex;

Recognizing the need to develop connections between the nuclear complex and global, environmental, racial, economic and social justice;

Emphasizing the importance of the right to self-determination of all indigenous peoples, who have been most affected by the nuclear complex;

Drawing attention to the need to redefine security in terms of human and environmental needs;

Underlining the need to move beyond military force as the principal means of solving conflict and instead resolving conflict by nonviolent means;

Understanding the devastation caused by nuclear weapons and memorializing the many victims of bomb production at every step – from uranium mining to design, to production, to testing, to use and threat of use; and

Reaffirming our humanity through mutual respect, nonviolence and consensus-building,

The “Think Outside the Bomb” Network agrees to the following Principles of Unity:

The nuclear fuel cycle is an inherently dangerous process that is destructive to the health, environment and economies of all peoples irrespective of political boundaries. Historically and currently, this process has disproportionately and adversely affected people of color; downwinders, workers, and defense personnel; and indigenous, colonized and disenfranchised peoples, threatening future generations and undermining local sovereignty and environmental sustainability. Reparations must be made to all victims of the nuclear fuel cycle. Damages and risks caused by past and existing uses of radioactive material must be alleviated.

The use of nuclear reactors for the generation of electricity is economically infeasible, unsustainable and environmentally destructive. Nuclear reactors and power plants create stockpiles of nuclear waste with no safe, scientifically credible or permanent storage solution, putting the health and security of local communities at grave risk. The nuclear energy industry is unique in its total dependence on federal subsidies and is increasingly trending toward consolidation. This current trend is monopolistic and leads to further dominance of the nuclear energy industry over regulatory agencies and state and federal legislatures. There must be a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors and power plants and currently operating ones must be decommissioned and replaced by clean, safe, renewable energy generation, efficiency and conservation.

High level and low level nuclear waste from nuclear weapons and energy production is a threat to future generations. Any process to isolate and dispose of nuclear waste must consider the social and environmental impacts on all communities. The mining, milling, reprocessing and enrichment of uranium for use in nuclear weapons and power plants must cease immediately.

The nuclear arms race is perpetuated by competition between the branches of the military and subsidized by the Pentagon, whose layers of secrecy reinforce US militaristic hegemony. The continued research, development, manufacture, testing, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons violate international law and basic human rights to life, dignity and security. Nuclear weapons disable functional diplomacy and prevent the establishment of a just peace. The only way to halt this vicious cycle is to devalue and delegitimize the role of nuclear weapons in national security policies. Nuclear weapons must be abolished.

The nuclearization and militarization of our schools perpetuate systems of oppression on our campuses and threaten our civil liberties. Nuclear weapons research, development, testing and production only takes place with the obsequious support of our Universities, whose research and development funding is overwhelmingly funneled through the Pentagon, multinational weapons manufacturers and their subsidiaries. This is a drain on human and financial resources and is antithetical to the values our educational institutions should be fostering, such as critical thinking, independent research and participatory democracy. Because generations have grown up without a holistic understanding of the serious problems wrought by the Nuclear Age, a balanced curriculum to address these issues must be integrated into public and private educational systems at all levels.

Continuing the legacy of young people as leaders in movement building, we empower ourselves and our peers to foster authentic relationships across racial, religious, gender, political, ethnic, cultural and class boundaries, as well as with previous and future generations. Young people must seek and be supported in leadership positions in communities, organizations, coalitions, networks, and in other non-violent forums for creative organizing. The “Think Outside the Bomb” Network seeks to make the vision embodied in these Principles of Unity a reality.