The Fierce Urgency of Nuclear Zero: Changing the Discourse
On October 24-25, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation hosted a symposium entitled “The Fierce Urgency of Nuclear Zero: Changing the Discourse.” The symposium, with nuclear disarmament academics and activists, was an intimate brainstorming session designed to elicit new and innovative thinking on how to arrive at nuclear zero.
There was general agreement that a nuclear war poses an existential threat to humankind and that the warning sirens are now sounding. There is hope that such a war can be avoided, but that hope, while necessary, is not sufficient to end the nuclear threat now facing humanity and complex life on the planet. Hope must be joined with action to end the nuclear weapons era in order to abolish nuclear weapons before they abolish us.
From L to R: Front Row: Daniel Ellsberg, David Krieger, Noam Chomsky. Second Row: Paul K. Chappell, Rick Wayman, Elaine Scarry, Steven Starr, Richard Falk, Jackie Cabasso, Jennifer Simons, Peter Kuznick, Judith Lipton, Kimiaki Kawai. Third Row: Robert Laney, Mark Hamilton, Daniel Smith, John Mecklin, Hans Kristensen, Rich Appelbaum. (photo by Rick Carter)
Symposium Presentations
Introductions
David Krieger | mp3 audio
Robert Laney | mp3 audio
Kimiaki Kawai| mp3 audio
Session I: Assessing the Alarming Lack of Progress
Noam Chomsky| transcript | mp3 audio | video
Jackie Cabasso| transcript | mp3 audio
Session II: The State of the Nuclear Danger
Hans Kristensen| transcript | mp3 audio
Steven Starr| transcript | mp3 audio
Session III: Overcoming Geopolitical Obstacles to Nuclear Zero
Richard Falk | transcript | mp3 audio | video
Daniel Ellsberg| transcript | mp3 audio | video
Session IV: Overcoming Psychological Obstacles to Nuclear Zero
Paul K. Chappell| transcript | mp3 audio
Judith Lipton| transcript | mp3 audio
Session V: Keeping Faith With the Future
Elaine Scarry| transcript | mp3 audio
Peter Kuznick| transcript | mp3 audio
Session VI: Promising Initiatives for Changing the Discourse
Jennifer Simons| transcript | mp3 audio
Rick Wayman| transcript | mp3 audio
Session VII: Next Steps from Discourse to Action
Noam Chomsky| transcript | mp3 audio
Richard Falk| transcript | mp3 audio
Related Articles and Presentations
The Fierce Urgency of Nuclear Zero
An article by David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Opening Remarks
By David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Opening Remarks (message)
By Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International
Nuclear Weapons Modernization by All Nine Nuclear-Armed Nations
A presentation by Hans Kristensen of Federation of American Scientists
Turning a Blind Eye Towards Armageddon: U.S. Leaders Reject the Nuclear Winter Studies
A PowerPoint presentation by Steven Starr, Senior Scientist at Physicians for Social Responsibility
A PDF document as a companion to the PowerPoint
Psychological Obstacles to Nuclear Zero
By Judith Lipton and David Barash
Promising Initiatives for Changing the Discourse
By Jennifer Simons
A Symposium Overview
By David Krieger
Quotes from Presentations
Special thanks to all those who made this symposium possible:
Leanna Apland
Gary Atkins
Rick Carter
Ron Dexter
Adelaide Gomer
Hideki Hagimoto
Dorothie and Martin Hellman
Hal Maynard
Kristian Rolland
Soka Gakkai International