Nuclear Dangers in Ukraine: A Series of Discussions
NAPF presents a series of discussions, bringing together influential experts who will address the escalating nuclear dangers resulting from the Ukraine War.
Nuclear Dangers with Professors Martin Hellman and Benoît Pelopidas
Sixth Event in Our Series:
On November 29, 2022, we held a Zoom discussion on Nuclear Dangers with Prof. Martin Hellman and Prof. Benoît Pelopidas.
Professors Martin E. Hellman and Benoît Pelopidas discussed why luck can not be a viable strategy when it comes to use of nuclear weapons. They considered the very concept of luck and what it truly means, the evidence of its role in the past, how current doctrines are relying on it today, and what that means for the Ukraine War. Says Prof. Hellman, “Those who discount the risk of the Ukraine War leading to a nuclear war are probably right, but probably is not an adequate assurance when our nation’s survival is at stake.” You can watch the provocative discussion HERE.
Martin E. Hellman, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, is best known for his invention, with Diffie and Merkle, of public key cryptography, the technology that, among other uses, enables secure Internet transactions. He is currentlly focused on Rethinking National Security. Prof. Hellman is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the recipient of the ACM Turing Award, often called “the Nobel Prize of Computer Science.”
Professor Benoît Pelopidas is the founding director of the Nuclear Knowledges program at Sciences Po (CERI) in Paris. He is also an affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University. Prof. Pélopidas focuses on the institutional, conceptual, imaginal and memorial underpinnings of nuclear weapons. He has engaged with influencers from all over the world to reconnect democracy, intergenerational justice, and nuclear policy.
Video of the event is available HERE.
Nuclear Dangers with John Burroughs, Jackie Cabasso, and Andrew Lichtman
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Fifth Event in Our Series: On Thursday, October 27, 2022, John Burroughs, of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, and Jacqueline Cabasso and Andrew Lichterman, of Western States Legal Foundation, discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and accompanying nuclear threats with reference to international law; whether “geopolitical” analysis is the appropriate framework; and divergent approaches of peace advocates. John is the principal author of the paper, End the War, Stop the War Crimes; Jacqueline, a key actor in peace and disarmament networks, is quoted extensively in this article published soon after the invasion, A conflict over Ukraine embroils four of the world’s major nuclear powers; Andrew is the author of the paper, The Peace Movement and the Ukraine War: Where to Now? Christian Ciobanu, our Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, moderated the lively discussion. For video of the event, click HERE. |
Nuclear Dangers with Richard Falk and Ivana Hughes
Fourth Event in Our Series:
On Thursday, September 29 at 11 a.m. PT and 2 p.m. ET, we held a Zoom discussion on Nuclear Dangers and beyond with Richard Falk and Ivana Hughes. They discussed the current state of affairs in the Ukraine War, the dangers that humanity and the planet face, as exposed by the war and otherwise and Falk’s book This Endangered Planet: Prospects and Proposals for Human Survival (1971). In August, the book was selected as a Book for the Century (Political and Legal) on the occasion of the centennial issue of the magazine Foreign Affairs, issued by the Council on Foreign Relations. Richard’s book is part of a set considered “essential for understanding the century ahead.”
For video of the event, please click HERE.
Nuclear Dangers in Ukraine
Third in our Zoom Series
WITH JERRY BROWN
and Richard Falk
Moderated by
Cynthia Lazaroff
Thursday, May 26, 2022
11:00 am PT | 2:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm CET
Watch the video of this event.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown is perhaps best known for having served as California’s governor for an historic four terms in office, the third-longest-serving governor in U.S. history. During his time in office, California’s unemployment rate dropped to a record low, nearly 3 million new jobs were added, and healthcare coverage expanded to millions more Californians. Guided by his leadership, the state enacted far-reaching reforms, including in criminal justice, immigration, workers’ compensation, water, pension, education, housing and economic development reforms. California also established comprehensive targets to protect the environment and fight climate change. Brown currently serves as chair of the California-China Climate Institute housed at UC Berkeley; executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; board member of the Nuclear Threat Initiative; and farmer on land settled by his great-grandfather more than 150 years ago.
Richard Falk
Richard Falk is a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In 2008, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed him to a six-year term as a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. He is the author or co-author of more than 20 books. His memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim, was published this last year.
Cynthia Lazaroff
Cynthia Lazaroff is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy. She is the author of Dawn of a New Armageddon, a personal account of the Hawaii missile scare, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on August 6, 2018. An expert on US-Russia relations, including on the history, geopolitics, military, cyber and escalating nuclear risks between these two countries, Cynthia has been engaged in Track II citizen diplomacy and mediation efforts with Russia since the early 1980s.
Nuclear Dangers in Ukraine
Second in our Zoom Series
WITH NOAM CHOMSKY AND DANIEL ELLSBERG
Co-hosts Cynthia Lazaroff and Richard Falk
Friday, April 29, 2022
12:00 pm PT | 3:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm CET
Watch the video of this event.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
Noam Chomsky
Philosopher, cognitive scientist, linguist, political commentator, and lifelong activist, Chomsky is arguably the single most influential scholar in the world today. He is a sharp critic of American foreign policy and an anarchist who believes in creating a radically different, more just society. Chomsky is the author of more than 100 books, his most recent, Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power, was published in 2017. At the age of 93, knowing his voice still needs to be heard during this critical time, Chomsky hasn’t retreated from the world stage, contending, “We’re approaching the most dangerous point in human history and are now facing the prospect of the destruction of organized human life on Earth.”
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg, known to many as the original whistleblower, in 1971 released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study of the US government’s decision-making in the Vietnam War. He was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917, along with charges of theft and conspiracy, carrying a maximum sentence of 115 years. Because of governmental misconduct, illegal evidence-gathering, and a stellar defense team, all charges against Ellsberg were dismissed on May 11, 1973. He is the author of four books, the latest published in 2017 entitled The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. Ellsberg was awarded the 2006 Right Livelihood Award “…for putting peace and truth first, at considerable personal risk, and dedicating his life to inspiring others to follow his example.”
Cynthia Lazaroff
Cynthia Lazaroff is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy. She is the author of Dawn of a New Armageddon, a personal account of the Hawaii missile scare, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on August 6, 2018. An expert on US-Russia relations, including on the history, geopolitics, military, cyber and escalating nuclear risks between these two countries, Cynthia has been engaged in Track II citizen diplomacy and mediation efforts with Russia since the early 1980s.
Richard Falk
Richard Falk is a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In 2008, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed him to a six-year term as a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. He is the author or co-author of more than 20 books. His memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim, was published this last year.
Nuclear Dangers in Ukraine
Tuesday March 29, 2022
11am PT | 2pm ET | 7pm CET
with Cynthia Lazaroff and Richard Falk
Watch the video of this event.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
Cynthia Lazaroff
Cynthia is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy. She is the author of Dawn of a New Armageddon, a personal account of the Hawaii missile scare published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on August 6, 2018. An expert on US-Russia relations, including on the history, geopolitics, military, cyber and escalating nuclear risks between these two countries, Cynthia has been engaged in Track II citizen diplomacy and mediation efforts with Russia since the early 1980s.
Richard Falk
Richard is an American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In 2008, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed him to a six-year term as a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. He is the author or co-author of more than 20 books. His memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim, was published this last year.