Background

 

 

More than 20 years ago, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. At the time, such a bold move generated real hope within the international community that it could finally be freed from the nuclear threat. Important breakthroughs were achieved in the following years, including the elimination of an entire class of ground-based intermediate and short-range nuclear ballistic missiles and the signature of the STARTI and STARTII treaties as well as the negotiation of a multilateral Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty.

 

However, progress in the field of nuclear disarmament has since ground to a halt, and the issue seemed for a while to lose some of its urgency among political leaders and the general public alike. Yet, the need for advancing the nuclear disarmament agenda is no less imperative today than it was at the end of the Cold War. During the Cold War, opponents of the mutual assured destruction and other nuclear doctrines were able to command broad public support by pointing to the immorality of weapons of mass destruction or the risks of an accidental launch. Nowadays, activists can rely on equally forceful arguments, as continued nuclear tests and proliferation of nuclear weapons among new states and non state actors make the abolition of nuclear arms more compelling even among former proponents of nuclear deterrence. The reiteration earlier this year at the Moscow Summit of the goal of a “world free of nuclear weapons” by the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation could be a first step in this direction.

 

The United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon has welcomed this new momentum towards nuclear disarmament. He has recently put forward a five-point plan for nuclear disarmament and launched a multimedia campaign entitled “WMD—WeMustDisarm!” which outlines 100 reasons to disarm. The Secretary-General has called for all States, nuclear and non-nuclear alike, to abide by their disarmament and non-proliferation commitments and nurture an international climate conducive to disarmament. He also pointed out to the importance of an early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and progress on the review process of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as negotiations on a new fissile material treaty. Finally, the Secretary-General has highlighted how a renewed focus on disarmament and non-proliferation would benefit international security and stability, and produce considerable dividends for peace and development as the world struggles to address the financial and economic crisis.

 

Within the framework of the 3d Edition of the Geneva Lecture Series, Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union and Founding President of Green Cross International, will present his own views on resetting the nuclear disarmament agenda.