By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK |19 August 2024 (IDN) — Nearly twenty years ago, the United Nations Security Council took a consequential step to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by unanimously adopting resolution 1540 (2004). This global instrument requires Governments to prevent non-State actors or terrorists from acquiring, proliferating […]
Nuclear-weapon States Urged to Promote Non-proliferation and Disarmament
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 11 August 2024 (IDN) — The United States deserves unequivocal accolades for joining Egypt and Qatar in exerting its diplomatic weight to avert a wider war in the Middle East. It is regretful, however, that such zeal was missing at the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the Eleventh […]
Nuclear Exercises of Russia – Stark Reminder to Dutch F-16s in Ukraine
By Drago Bosnic The writer is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. OSLO | 5 August 2024 (IDN) — On the very last day of July, the Russian military announced it started “the third and ‘final’ phase of drills to practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons”. The Kremlin’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) also initiated […]
Kazakhstan and UN to Help Bolster Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 2 August 2024 (IDN) — As the spectre of a Nuclear Armageddon haunts our planet, the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan is joining hands with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) to organize a workshop—first in five years—to bolster the five Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) treaties. States-parties to the five […]
Religious Leaders, Academic Experts, and Tech Leaders Discuss AI Ethics for Peace
By Taro Ichikawa HIROSHIMA | 31 July 2024 (IDN) — Nearly one month ahead of the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings—by the United States—of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, representatives from 11 of the world’s major religions joined academic experts and tech leaders for an AI Ethics for Peace historic conference in […]
NGOs Call for Breaking the Impasse on Disarmament
By J. Nastranis NEW YORK | 23 July 2024 (IDN) — A joint statement for the Second Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 NPT Review Conference by nearly 50 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) —which focus on arms control negotiations—delivered on July 23 by Daryl G. Kimball of the Arms Control Association, calls for “Breaking the Impasse of […]
In Memoriam, Ambassador Sérgio Duarte (1934-2024)
By Ramesh Jaura* BERLIN | 17 July 2024 (IDN) — We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ambassador Sérgio Duarte, former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, and a friend and supporter of IDN. I met him first at the 25th UN […]
Africa’s Consequential Role in Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 3 July 2024 (IDN) — As one of the five Nuclear-Weapon Free Zones (NWFZs) covering Latin America and the Caribbean, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, Africa has been a driving force in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament—through the Treaty of Pelindaba—which entered into force on 15 July 2009 The […]
ICAN Calls for a Global Week of Action Against Suge in Nuclear Spending
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 23 June 2024 (IDN) — The nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined total of $91,393,404,739 on their arsenals—equivalent to $2,898 a second in 2023. ICAN’s latest report “Surge: 2023 Global nuclear weapons spending” shows $10.7 billion more was spent on nuclear weapons in 2023 than in 2022. “The billions of […]
We Must Act to Reduce Risk of Nuclear War
By John Carlson* This article was issued by Korea Times. SYDNEY | 22 June 2024 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned, “Humanity is on a knife’s edge. The risk of a nuclear weapon being used has reached heights not seen since the Cold War.” Urgent action is needed to reduce the risk of […]