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? “That is one scenario that must never happen”, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A Milestone in the History of Nuclear Diplomacy
70th Anniversary of President Eisenhower’s Speech on “Atoms for Peace” By Leonam dos Santos Guimarâes *The writer is a Nuclear and naval engineer (PhD) member of the Brazilian National Academy of Engineering. CEO of Eletronuclear S.A. Coordinator, Brazilian Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. RIO DE JANEIRO | 23 October 2023 (IDN) — On 8 December 1953, […]
Continued Buildup of Massive US Nuclear Arsenal Dangerous
By Daryl G. Kimball The writer is the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA). Following is the preliminary Assessment of the Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, ACA issued on 12 October. WASHINGTON, D.C. 15 October 2023 (IDN) — Following more than a decade of deteriorating […]
Is Russia Planning to Revoke its Ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 10 October 2023 (IDN) — The Russian Federation, which made several implicit threats to use nuclear weapons in its ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, is reportedly toying with the idea of withdrawing its ratification of the landmark Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The international wire service Reuters reported […]