Trump and Senator Cotton Embrace Enhanced Testing & Face Kilotons of Surprises

Viewpoint by Robert Kelley

VIENNA (IDN) – There are growing rumours that the United States is considering carrying out a nuclear test in the near future. Legislation introduced in the United States Senate suggests that this may not be an idle threat. The language in the recent amendment reads: “carry out projects related to reducing the time required to execute a nuclear test if necessary,” This threat indicates a complete lack of understanding of the political and technical difficulties such a move would introduce. [2020–07-14 | 09] HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF

Young Leaders Across Northeast Asia Tackle Challenging Security Questions

By UNODA

Photo: Northeast Asian youth leaders from the “Perspectives for Dialogues in Northeast Asia”, organized in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in June 2019. Credit: UNODA

NEW YORK (IDN) – The nine-member youth Steering Committee for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Northeast Asia engaged with United Nations staff earlier in July on a range of pressing international security challenges.

Their webinar discussions were part of a wider learning series organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) to help the young leaders prepare for an upcoming meeting in the Republic of Korea on disarmament and non-proliferation topics. [2020–07-10]

Rethinking Security: Nuclear Sharing in Europe in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Angelika Claussen

Image credit: ICAN

Dr. Claussen, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, is IPPNW’s Regional Vice President for Europe. This article first appeared on IPPNW Peace & Health Blog. Please click here for the original link.

BERLIN (IDN) – The global COVID-19 pandemic is making it clear that governments must rethink security. Our future challenges lie in establishing a good healthcare system in every country of our planet, in fighting climate change and in achieving the sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations. [2020–07-07]

Okinawa Governor Refuses to Host Prohibited U.S. Nuclear Missiles

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) – Governor Denny Tamaki of Okinawa district has rejected the U.S. plans to base on the island missiles capable of threatening China – apparently as part of President Donald Trump's move to challenge Beijing and upgrade the importance of Taiwan, 500 kilometres away from the island. If a plan for Okinawa to host such missiles were to develop, Tamaki said: "I can easily imagine fierce opposition from Okinawa residents." [2020–06-27 | 08] JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | RUSSIAN

Combating the Threat of Nuclear Weapons Needs 'Responsible' Media

 Viewpoint by Dr J. Enkhsaikhan

The writer is former Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations, and Chairman of Blue Banner NGO. 

ULAANBAATAR (IDN) – The first half of 2020 has demonstrated once again that the world has indeed become closely interconnected and that cooperation of states and other stakeholders is imperative to deal with the current three existential threats that know no borders: the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. [2020–06-26 | 07] JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | NORWEGIAN

Let Them Eat Weapons: Trump’s Bizarre Arms Race

Viewpoint by Lawrence Wittner, IPPNW *

Image: A common hypersonic glide body launched from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, on March 19, 2020, during a flight experiment. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

NEW YORK (IDN) – In late May of this year, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for arms control bragged before a Washington think tank that the US government was prepared to outspend Russia and China to win a new nuclear arms race.  “The president has made clear that we have a tried and true practice here,” he remarked.  “We know how to win these races and we know how to spend the adversary into oblivion.”  [2020–06-18]

Time to Act on Dr King’s Call to Tackle Evils of Racism, Economic Exploitation, and War

Viewpoint by Alice Slater

Photo: Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking against the Vietnam War, St. Paul Campus, the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, April 27, 1967. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

The writer serves on the Board of 'World Beyond War', and represents the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at the United Nations.

NEW YORK (IDN) –The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) just issued its 2020 Yearbook, reporting on developments in armaments, disarmament, and international security. In light of the drumbeat of frightening news about growing hostility between the dominant nuclear-armed states vying for power, SIPRI describes a bleak outlook for arms control. [2020–06-15 | 06] HINDI |  ITALIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | SPANISH

How Covid-19 Is Impacting Multilateral Disarmament and Arms Control

By Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) High Representative

Image credit: UNODA

NEW YORK (IDN) – Since my previous update on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the work of disarmament, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has continued working to fulfil its mandates while supporting the Member States as they respond to the rapidly evolving global health emergency. [2020–06-06]

The Future of Arms Control Hangs in the Balance After US Quits Open Skies Treaty

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

Photo: A USAF Boeing OC-135B Open Skies. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

MOSCOW (IDN) – President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty has posed unprecedented challenges, generated extensive debates among Russian politicians and experts. Equally worried are leaders in Europe and Asia.

Trump administration notified international partners on May 21 that the US was pulling out of a treaty that permits 30 plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other's territory. [2020–05-31]

Eminent Persons Warn Against Any Demonstration Nuclear Test Explosion

By Reinhard Jacobsen

Image: More than 300 International Monitoring System (IMS) facilities certified out of the 337 the CTBTO has planned are already in operation. Credit: CTBTO.

VIENNA (IDN) – Members of the CTBTO Group of Eminent Persons (GEM) have expressed "deep concern about credible press reports" that senior U.S. officials have discussed the possibility of conducting "a demonstration nuclear test explosion". [2020–05-30 | 05] JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE | SPANISH