Path to Zero: Dialogues on Nuclear Dangers

by Falk,Richard A.

• ISBN13: 9781612052144
• ISBN10: 1612052142
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2012-10-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Nuclear weapons are not a subject of intense public discussion and debate, but they should be. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were only the beginning; in recent times, nuclear annihilation at the hands of rogues and terrorists has become an even greater concern than the specter of nuclear war between superpowers. In a series of clear, calm, well-reasoned dialogues, longtime scholars and practitioners of peace Richard Falk and David Krieger probe key questions about our nuclear reality and dig beneath the surreal surface tranquility that has largely surrounded its existence. Although the authors agree on much, there are many areas where their thoughts diverge, including their assessment of the value of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and of President Obama's level of commitment to nuclear issues. They put forward new proposals and explore in the dialogues different ways to move ahead. They contend that a nuclear-free future is not a subject to be left only to experts-for the so-called experts have brought us to the brink of the nuclear precipice over and over again. Falk and Krieger believe that although none of us has the power to bring about global change alone, together we are immensely powerful-powerful enough to overcome the threats of the Nuclear Age and move us appreciably along the path to zero. Covers questions about living in the Nuclear Age including: How have we responded (or failed to respond) to these immensely powerful weapons? Are we capable of escaping their threat? Can civilization make the leap to survival in a world with thousands of nuclear weapons? Will humankind become the victim of its own cleverness? Will we recognize the nuclear dilemma that confronts us in the 21st century? Will we be able also to recognize our power, when acting together, to be a force for change? Will we act soon enough and forcefully enough to assure civilization's survival?

Author Biography

Richard Falk is Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law and Practice Emeritus at Princeton and a research professor in Global and International Studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara. David Krieger is Co-Founder and President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara and a Councilor on the World Future Council.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Key Reference Documents	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
The Nuclear Age	p. 1
The Challenge of the Nuclear Age	p. 2
The Human Future Endangered	p. 3
A Hypothetical Opening to the Nuclear Age	p. 5
Public Complacency and Despair	p. 6
The Need to Raise Our Voices	p. 9
Lack of Cultural Attention	p. 11
Human Security versus National Security	p. 12
The Military-Industrial Complex	p. 14
Peace Remains an Imperative of the Nuclear Age	p. 17
Dimensions of the Nuclear Age	p. 19
Nuclear Weapons Abolition: The Most Urgent Struggle of Our Time	p. 21
Nuclear Deterrence	p. 25
A Critique of Nuclear Deterrence	p. 25
Beyond Deterrence	p. 29
Opting for Nuclear Disarmament	p. 32
Why Does the United States Insist on Nuclear Deterrence?	p. 33
The Relevance of Worldviews	p. 35
Finding Security without Nuclear Deterrence	p. 38
Awakening Civil Society	p. 40
A Moral Perspective	p. 41
Nuclear Proliferation	p. 43
Horizontal and Vertical Proliferation	p. 44
Preventing Proliferation Is Not Sufficient	p. 45
Losing tie U.S. Monopoly	p. 46
The Geopolitics of Nonproliferation versus the Treaty Regime	p. 47
A Material Breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty	p. 50
Is Arms Control Enough?	p. 51
Double Standards: A Recipe for Failure	p. 52
Renouncing the Non-Proliferation Treaty	p. 54
Nuclear Energy as a Path to Proliferation	p. 55
Antiproliferation Warfare	p. 56
Israel's Nuclear Weapons	p. 57
Mobilizing the Public	p. 60
India and Pakistan	p. 60
Delegitimizing the Nonproliferation Regime	p. 62
Nuclear Arms Control and Nuclear Disarmament	p. 65
Managing Nuclear Threats	p. 66
The McCloy-Zorin Accords	p. 67
Toward Nuclear Disarmament	p. 68
Lack of Good Faith	p. 70
Distinct Goals and Rationales	p. 71
The Need for Leadership	p. 73
Justifying the Need for Nuclear Arsenals	p. 74
Shifting the Mind-Set	p. 75
New Approaches to Nuclear Disarmament	p. 78
Generating the Political Will for Change	p. 81
Nuclear Weapons and Militarism	p. 85
U.S. Leadership in Militarism	p. 87
Beyond Nuclearism	p. 89
The Need for a Moral Revolution	p. 91
Is Nuclear Disarmament Dangerous?	p. 94
Who's Afraid of Nuclear Realists?	p. 96
Breaking Down Walls of Complacency	p. 98
Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Energy	p. 101
The Weapons Dimension of Nuclear Energy	p. 102
Virtual Nuclear Weapon States	p. 105
Nuclear Energy after Fukushima	p. 105
Nuclear Industry Has Not Gone Away	p. 107
Terrorism, Sabotage, and Acts of War	p. 108
Nuclear Power and Proliferation Risks	p. 110
Cultural Hubris and Energy Demands	p. 113
The Manipulative Power of Spin	p. 115
Misplaced Confidence in Technological Solutions	p. 117
Nuclear Technology and Catastrophic Risk	p. 118
A Question of Values	p. 120
Nuclear Weapons and International Law	p. 125
The Nuremberg Promise	p. 126
The World Court Pronounces on the Legality of Nuclear Weapons	p. 127
Failure to Act on the ICJ's Opinion	p. 130
Civil Society and the Enforcement of International Law	p. 132
International Law versus Deterrence Theory	p. 134
Mobilization and Motivation	p. 135
An Unequal Treaty	p. 142
The Need to Make International Law Visible	p. 144
Nuclear Weapons, Culture, and Morality	p. 147
A Culture of Militarism	p. 147
Morality as a Justification for Militarism	p. 151
Morality and Civil Society Engagement	p. 154
Ending the Culture of War	p. 156
Learning the Wrong Lessons from War	p. 159
The Role of the Media	p. 160
The Systemic Nature of Militarism and Nuclearism	p. 161
The Need for Moral Leadership	p. 164
Awakening the Public to the Real Costs of Militarism and Nuclearism	p. 165
Nuclear Weapons and Democracy	p. 167
Secrecy and Disinformation	p. 167
The Failure of Democracy in the United States	p. 170
The First Global Weapons and the Culture of War	p. 172
The National Security State and Democracy	p. 174
A New Global Dialogue on Nuclearism	p. 176
The Death of Democracy and Ethics	p. 177
Shocking the Public Awake	p. 179
From Hiroshima to Fukushima	p. 183
Obama Incrementalism?	p. 186
The Path to Zero	p. 191
Obstacles to Achieving a World Free of Nuclear Weapons	p. 191
The Need for U.S. Leadership	p. 193
What Would the United States Do if It Were Serious?	p. 195
A No First Use Pledge	p. 197
Summarizing Our Consensus	p. 199
The Black Swan	p. 200
Highlighting No First Use	p. 201
Beyond No First Use	p. 203
Regional Approaches to Nuclear Disarmament	p. 205
Youth as Critical Actors	p. 207
Revolutions of the Mind	p. 207
Notes	p. 211
Index	p. 215
About the Authors	p. 223
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