15. May 2012

New Footprint and Biocapacity Data Released from Space: Trends Reveal a ‘Global Auction’

Astronaut Launches Living Planet Report 2012
Humanity is now using nature’s services 52 percent faster than what Earth can renew, according to Global Footprint Network’s latest data, published in the 2012 edition of the Living Planet Report. The biennial report, produced by WWF in collaboration with Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London, was launched today by ESA astronaut André Kuipers from the International Space Station. Click here to see the video of the launch

Released just weeks before world leaders come together in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the report shows rising competition among countries for resources and land use.

“We’ve entered the era of the global auction,” said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel, Ph.D., “where nations are now forced to compete fiercely for more expensive and less abundant resources. It’s in their own self-interest to preserve and restore the natural assets they have within their borders and avoid ecological deficit spending. In a resource constrained world, such spending will become an ever more challenging economic burden.” Read on

13. May 2012

The world’s nuclear missiles ready to fly

This stunning graphic appeared in the National Post on May 4, 2012. It represents an estimate of the number of nuclear missiles currently "ready to use" -- that is, deliverable to targets in a very short time. It does not attempt to compare explosive yields or even the number of warheads in any given missile.

The outer blue circle are missiles belonging to the United States of America.
The red circle just inside the outer blue circle are those belonging to Russia.
The blue circle inside that one are the missiles belonging to Britain and France.
The red circle inside that are missiles belonging to China and Pakistan.
The innermost circle, light green and blue, are the missiles of India and Israel.

To enlarge the image or view a large-scale PDF please visit: news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/04/world-nuclear-graphic/

13. May 2012

B61 Nuclear Bomb Costs Escalating

By Hans M. Kristensen

The expected cost of the B61 Life-Extension Program (LEP) has increased by 50 percent to $6 billion dollars, according to U.S. government sources.
Only one year ago, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) estimated in its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program report to Congress that the cost of the program would be approximately $4 billion.
The escalating cost of the program – and concern that NNSA does not have an effective plan for managing it – has caused Congress to cap spending on the B61 LEP by 60 percent in 2012 and 100 percent in 2013. The Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office is currently evaluating NNSA’s cost estimate and is expected to release its assessment in July. After that, NNSA is expected to release a validated cost, schedule and scope estimate for the B61 LEP, a precondition for Congress releasing the program funds for Phase 6.3 of the program. Read on here: www.fas.org/blog/ssp/category/hans_kristensen

4. May 2012

INES opposes nuclear energy

At the INES Council meeting on April 28th, 2012 in Vienna, Austria,  the INES statement on nuclear energy was adopted by the INES Council members.

Given the inevitable link to nuclear weapons, the risks involved and the obstacle that nuclear energy proves to be for renewable energy systems, we consider nuclear power incompatible with peaceful, just and lasting, i.e. sustainable development. Thus we demand:

• much greater expansion of research spending on renewable energy systems, redirecting current funding of nuclear energy research to this end
• for the remaining nuclear research (for safety in operation, dismantlement and disposal), make independent reviews and public debate mandatory
• enter a transition period of phase out and dismantlement of nuclear plants and development of renewable energy systems and technologies,
• initiate and hold debates with civil society, developing concepts and recommendations, for research and policies improving efficiency and enhancing reductions in energy consumption.

To read the full statement please click here.

2. May 2012

New Report: US and Russian Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons

By Hans M. Kristensen

A new report estimates that Russia and the United States combined have a total of roughly 2,800 nuclear warheads assigned to their non-strategic nuclear forces. Several thousands more have been retired and are awaiting dismantlement.

The report comes shortly before the NATO Summit in Chicago on 20-21 May, where the alliance is expected to approve the conclusions of a year-long Deterrence and Defense Posture Review that will, among other things, determine the “appropriate mix” of nuclear and non-nuclear forces in Europe. It marks the 20-year anniversary of the Presidential Unilateral Initiatives in the early 1990s that resulted in sweeping reductions of non-strategic nuclear weapons. Read on here: www.fas.org/blog/ssp/category/hans_kristensen

26. April 2012

Ban nuclear weapons totally with a binding convention

Proposals to the Japanese Government by the Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo) on  the occasion of the NPT PrepCom 2012 in Vienna, Austria.

As you know, the 2010 NPT Review Conference agreed on achieving “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons” as the goal of the NPT. The Final Document specified that the five nuclear weapons states would “accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals”, that all states would “make special efforts to establish a necessary framework” for this purpose, and that the Conference noted the five point proposal of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, including negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.

The faithful implementation of these agreements is the key to the success of the 2015 NPT Review Conference and the efforts in the lead up to it. As in the statement of our organization on the occasion of the NPT PrepCom, we call on all the parties of the NPT to start negotiations for a convention banning nuclear weapons. At the same time, we urge the government of Japan, the only A-bombed country, to play its part by taking the following actions:

1. Make a clear statement that banning nuclear weapons totally with a binding convention is the only way to achieving “a world without nuclear weapons”, and propose the commencement of negotiations for the conclusion of a convention banning nuclear weapons.

2. Call for overcoming nuclear deterrence theory, facing up to the reality that the justification of nuclear weapons based on nuclear deterrence and extended deterrence is a driving force in nuclear arms races, increasing the danger of the use of nuclear weapons and the vicious cycle of proliferation of nuclear weapons; and declare and call for respect for Japan ’s position that, based on Article 9 of the Constitution and the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, it will promote a total ban on nuclear weapons, break away from the “nuclear umbrella” and not allow the possession, production and bringing-in of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory.

3. Make known the damage of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and value and support the efforts of the Hibakusha and NGOs for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Further information: http://www.antiatom.org/

17. April 2012

New INES Campaign: Disarmament for Sustainable Development

An international appeal to the 2012 Rio plus 20 conference

In 2011 global military spending amounted to $1740 billion – despite the fact that 1 billion people suffer from hunger, even more do not have access to safe water or adequate health care and education, and even in the developed world millions are without work. The Millennium Development Goals cannot be realized while the world squanders its wealth on militarism.

In a press conference on April 16, 2012 INES presented the campaign, the international appeal and the first signatories list comprising of Noam Chomsky, Johan Galtung, Vandana Shiva, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to name but a few. To read the appeal, see the complete first signatories list and to join in and sign the campaign please click here.

The signatories of this appeal demand that the governments of the world seriously address the neglected issue of peace and disarmament, and agree on a global plan for disarmament for sustainable development at the Rio Summit in June 2012.

The appeal is initiated by INES, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF), and the World Future Council (WFC) and is an activity on the occasion of the 2nd Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS). The appeal can be downloaded from the INES website in English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Russian and Lithuanian. Go to the Campaigns site.

17. April 2012

World military spending levels out after 13 years of increases, says SIPRI

World military expenditure in 2011 totalled $1.74 trillion, almost unchanged since 2010 in real terms, according to figures released today by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The small rise of just 0.3 per cent in 2011 marks the end of a run of continuous increases in military spending between 1998 and 2010, including an annual average increase of 4.5 per cent between 2001 and 2009. 

Six of the world’s top military spenders—Brazil, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States—made cuts in their military budgets in 2011, in most cases as part of attempts to reduce budget deficits. Meanwhile other states, notably China and Russia, increased their military spending markedly. 

‘The after-effects of the global economic crisis, especially deficit-reduction measures in the USA and Europe, have finally brought the decade-long rise in military spending to a halt—at least for now’, stated Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Project. The comprehensive annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database is accessible from today at www.sipri.org.

11. April 2012

Assuring destruction forever: nuclear weapon modernization around the world

As of March 2012, the nuclear weapon possessors - China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, the United King dom, and the United States - are estimated to possess approximately 19,500 nuclear weapons. All of them have plans to modernize - upgrade and/or extend the lives of - their nuclear weapons.

7. April 2012

INES Newsletter No. 63 now online

See: www.inesglobal.com/newsletter.phtml#cpid2128

6. April 2012

Global study reveals who's financing nuclear arms makers

Don't bank on the bomb: the global financing of nuclear weapons producers
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) published its report Don't bank on the bomb: the global financing of nuclear weapons producers. It identifies more than 300 banks, pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers in 30 countries with substantial investments in nuclear arms producers. It calls on financial institutions to stop investing in the manufacture, maintenance and modernization of nuclear armed countries. Please find the report on the don't bank the bomb website

6. April 2012

Pentagon: Trillion-Dollar Jet on Brink of Budgetary Disaster

The Government Accountability Office reveals recently that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, “the most expensive conventional weapon ever”, could need additional years of work and billions of dollars more investment. It is bad news for this program that is already almost a decade late and hundreds of billions of dollars over its original budget. Read the article by David Axe here:www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/f35-budget-disaster/

6. April 2012

Greece's austerity doesn't extend to its arms budget

While the Greek are facing austerity measures that have reduced living standards by 30%, the government continues to spend the most on arms in the EU as percentage of GDP and remains one of the biggest weapons importers in the world. The supposed threat from Turkey and the role of armed forces in controlling illegal immigration are presented as explanations for such a high military budget. Paul Haydon of the guardian argues that the main reason for these huge amounts of money spent on the military is the lucrative arms deals between Greece, France, and Germany.
Read the article here: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/21/greece-austerity-measures-military-spending

6. April 2012

Obama Promises to Seek New Nuclear Reductions with Russia

President Obama has promised to engage in negotiations with Russia for deeper cuts in each country's nuclear arsenal. Speaking before the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, President Obama said, "We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need."

He continued, "Going forward, we'll continue to seek discussions with Russia on a step we have never taken before - reducing not only our strategic nuclear warheads, but also tactical weapons and warheads in reserve."

The president is expected to address the issue with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, when the two meet in May. Obama will likely face strong opposition from Congressional Republicans, who already accuse him of breaking promises to "modernize" the US nuclear weapons complex in exchange for ratification of the New START Treaty last year.

Spetalnick, Matt and Laurence, Jeremy, "Obama Vows to Pursue Further Nuclear Cuts with Russia," Reuters, March 26, 2012.

6. April 2012

Making Peace photo exhibition available

Making Peace is a major outdoor photo exhibition (100 panels in 5 sections) that pays tribute to the people who — all over the world — devote their time, energy and resources to the cause of peace. When the exhibition was inaugurated along Lake Geneva in 2010, over fifty NGO/GO representatives participated (as part of an 'International Village') with 35.000 people visiting the exhibition over a four week period.
For informartion and booking please visit: www.makingpeace.org

31. March 2012

Disarmament for development

International Peace Bureau on-line course start date April 17

The on-line course focussing on the IPB’s main area of work (Disarmament for Development) will run from 17 April  - 27 July 2012.
It is organised by IPB and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). It will be open to adult students (university level or similar) from any part of the world. Language: English. 6 credits, 150 hours.
See details at: http://www.uoc.edu/portal/english/campus_pau/formacio/ong/list.html

30. March 2012

Sustainable Energy Roadmaps: Guiding the Global Shift to Domestic Renewables

Worldwatch Institute’s Sustainable Energy Roadmaps provide decision makers with a comprehensive toolkit for transitioning to sustainable energy. Tailored to a region’s unique circumstances, they examine opportunities for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and grid technologies; explore technical barriers and opportunities; and analyze socioeconomic impacts, including job creation. The roadmaps can be applied in a wide variety of locations and at multiple levels of political organization,offeringa long-term vision for energy development as well as specific policy, governance, and financial steps that are critical to making the shift to sustainable energy a reality.
Report by Alexander Ochs and Shakuntala Makhijani

ISBN: 978-0-878071-69-9, 46 pages, $12.95. Order here: www.worldwatch.org/sustainable-energy-roadmaps-report

19. March 2012

Rise in international arms transfers is driven by Asian demand, says SIPRI

The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007–2011 was 24 per cent higher than in 2002–2006 and the five largest arms importers in 2007–2011 were all Asian states, according to new data on international arms transfers published today by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Read the press release here: www.sipri.org/media/pressreleases/rise-in-international-arms-transfers-is-driven-by-asian-demand-says-sipri

12. March 2012

Fukushima: The Tsunami Myth

A disaster caused by safety deficits and earthquakes

On March 11 2011 a nuclear catastrophe occured at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to severe safety deficits and an earthquake. All over the world countless (relatively vulnerable) nuclear power plants are situated in earthquake-prone regions.
Another nuclear disaster could be caused by an earthquake anywhere in the world – in Asia, America or in Europe. The IPPNW in cooperation with DNR, EUROSOLAR, IALANA, INES and NatWiss published an information leaflet on the tsunami myth.
You can download the pdf here:

IPPNW Germany created a website on the Fukushima Disaster and publishes information in English, German and Japanese.

A new report published on March 12, 2012 looks into the course of events during the accident up until the reactor core meltdowns and conclusions relating to safet.

Information and the report can be found here: www.fukushima-disaster.de/information-in-english.html

6. March 2012

Retired US Generals to Obama: 'No War of Choice in Iran'

Several former high-ranking military, intelligence and State Department officials took out an ad in the Washington Post on March 6, 2012 urging President Obama to stand fast against political and lobbying pressure to attack Iran over claims it is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

The letter, signed by five retired generals, two senior intelligence analysts and a senior State Department official, is accompanied by a photo and quotes from other current military and defense officials warning against such an attack.

Note that this link includes a copy of the actual advert published today in the Washington Post: readersupportednews.org/news-section2/330-131/10317-retired-us-generals-to-obama-no-war-of-choice-in-iran

6. March 2012

New Nuclear Notebook: Russian Nuclear Forces 2012

By Hans M. Kristensen

Russia is planning to retire more than two-thirds of its current arsenal of nuclear land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles by the early 2020a. That includes some of the most iconic examples of the Soviet threat against the United States: SS-18 Satan, SS-19 Stiletto, and the world’s first road-mobile ICBM, the SS-25.

The plan coincides with the implementation of the New START treaty but significantly exceeds the reductions required by the treaty.

During the same period, Russia plans to deploy significant numbers of new missiles, but the production will not be sufficient to offset the retirement of old missiles. As a result, the size of Russia’s ICBM force is likely to decline over the next decade – with or without a new nuclear arms control treaty.

This and much more is described in our latest Nuclear Notebook published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Download the pdf here:

29. February 2012

North Koreans Agree to Freeze Nuclear Work

North Korea announced that it would suspend its nuclear weapons tests and uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors to monitor activities at its main nuclear complex. The surprise announcement raised the possibility of ending a diplomatic impasse that has allowed the country’s nuclear program to continue for years without international oversight. Read on here: www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/world/asia/us-says-north-korea-agrees-to-curb-nuclear-work.html

28. February 2012

Arrests Protesting Vandenberg Minuteman Missile Launch

On February 25, the Chair of the INES Executive Committee and President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation David Krieger, along with his wife Carolee, Daniel Ellsberg, Cindy Sheehan and 11 others, were arrested at Vandenberg Air Force Base while protesting the test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. About 100 people came to Vandenberg to protest the launch that, as usual, happened under the cover of darkness. Read the interview with David Krieger "Sense of Urgency Leads to Civil Disobedienc" here: wagingpeacetoday.blogspot.com/2012/02/sense-of-urgency-leads-to-civil.html

28. February 2012

IPB announced today that it plans to launch an International Appeal on Disarmament for Sustainable Development on April 17th, to mark the second Global Day of Action on Military Spending. Co-sponsored by the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Institute for Policy Studies, the Appeal will call on the governments meeting at the Earth Summit in June to agree on a global plan for disarmament and to use the freed-up funds for social, economic and ecological programmes. Our aim is to find 500 well-known personalities to endorse the Appeal; suggestions please to IPB Secretariat or the INES office.

24. February 2012

Defense Intelligence Agency threat assessment shows slower Chinese nuclear modernization.

By Hans M. Kristensen

At about the same time nuclear arms reduction opponents last week incorrectly accused the Obama administration of considering “reckless” cuts in nuclear forces that would leave the United States “with fewer warheads than China,” Congress received its annual threat assessment from the U.S. intelligence community.

China’s nuclear arsenal is at a size that makes comparison with U.S. nuclear force level meaningless – even at the lowest level feared by the critics – but the threat assessment showed that China’s nuclear force modernization has been slower than predicted during the Bush administration.

Read on here: www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2012/02/chinamissiles.php#more-5226

13. February 2012 (updated on 27.3.2012)

The dangers of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear programme

By Stuart Parkinson
There are increasingly vocal demands for military action to halt Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme. Stuart Parkinson, ED of the INES member organisation Scientists for Global Responsibility UK, takes a critical look at the evidence for such a programme and argues that any military attack is likely to make matters considerably worse.

In November, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, published its latest report on Iran’s nuclear programme. [1] It expressed “serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme”. Economic sanctions against Iran – especially by Western nations – are being ramped up to try force the Iranian government to comply with all IAEA recommendations. Iran, however, protests that its nuclear programme is peaceful and it is being unfairly criticised. Some leading political voices – especially in Israel and the USA – have responded by calling for military strikes to damage or destroy the Iranian programme with the aim being to stop any activity that might lead to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

But is Iran really building a nuclear weapon? And, if it were, would a military attack stop it? Or would it just make matters worse?Read on.

13. February 2012

War Against Iran, Sheer Insanity

President of the Global Security Institute Jonathan Granoff said waging war against Iran is a "sheer insanity," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

Criticizing the US war-seeking media atmosphere, Granoff told the Iranian news agency that they try to portray a bad picture of the peace-loving Iranian nation.

Referring to Iran's ancient history, the American lawyer said the Iranian nation has been attacked by several world countries, while the country has never initiated any war against any nation.

He believed that the US officials made mistakes during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war against Iran, saying Washington supported the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

He reiterated that they still make mistakes and instead of making up for their past mistakes, they seek threats and sanctions against the Iranian nation.

He further congratulated the Iranian nation and government on the 33rd victory anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Source: bernama.com

13. February 2012

Stop the War protests against Iran and Syria intervention

On 28 January 2012 at the United States Embassy in London, Stop the War held a rally to launch the Don't Attack Iran campaign. Hundreds of anti-war protesters gathered in central London at a demonstration against Western intervention in Iran and Syria. The rally, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, took place outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square. Protesters waved banners bearing the words "Don't attack Iran" and "Hands off Iran and Syria", while the crowd joined together in chanting: "One, two, three, four, we don't want another war. Five, six, seven, eight, stop the killing, stop the hate." Read on here: stopwar.org.uk/index.php/video/1078-stop-the-war-protests-against-iran-and-syria-intervention-

8. February 2012

Preventing War Saves More than Lives

A new fact sheet from the Friends Committee on National Legislation shows that preventing war is 60 times cheaper than fighting it.

Research has indicated that investing early to prevent conflicts from escalating into violent crises is, on average, 60 times more cost effective than intervening after violence erupts. Still, the world spends just $1 on conflict prevention for every $1,885 it spends on military budgets. In the U.S., less than 2% of income tax goes to civilian foreign affairs agencies, while 39% goes to the military.

Download the fact sheet:

6. February 2012

Annual Report 2011

Message from the INES Chair

INES was founded 20 years ago in the belief that, in our complex world of scientific discovery and technological innovation, scientists and engineers have an important role to play in the assessment of risk and in providing leadership for global responsibility in the uses of science and technology. For 20 years INES has been an open network of dedicated organizations and individuals seeking to apply the training of science and engineering to the many serious social and environmental problems and risks created by science and technology. Our message at INES has been and remains that there are limits to the applications of science and technology, and that those limits must be defined by global responsibility to those alive on the planet now and to future generations that will follow us on the planet. Read on

January 2012

Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone

By Alfred Marder, International Association of Peace Messengers Cities.

We are deeply concerned that the current response to the insistence that Iran is on the path to nuclear weapons is creating a volatile, unstable climate that can lead to frightening consequences. We cannot be silent as events unfold.

It is our judgment that the global peace movement must offer a concrete solution based upon historical precedent and experience, a solution that the global movement has adopted years ago, and, in the framework of the United Nations, is recognized as a powerful instrument for peace: a Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.

To Read on download the open letter please.

30. January 2012

Budget Blunder: “No Cuts” in Nuclear Forces

By Hans M. Kristensen
“There are no cuts made in the nuclear force in this budget.” That clear statement was made yesterday by deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter during the Pentagon’s briefing on the defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2013. Read on here: www.fas.org/blog/ssp/category/hans_kristensen

27. January 2012

Achievement:The University of Bremen keeps its Civil Clause

On January 25th, the highest body of the University of Bremen decided to keep the Civil Clause from 1986.
Peace research is now an explicit objective of the university. "Research, that could serve military purposes has to be discussed publicly and has to be rejected." See some articles in German Newpapers here: www.inesglobal.com/commit-universities-to-peace.phtml#cpid2030

27. January 2012

Quo Vadis, Ecosystem? Scenarios as a Tool for Large-Scale Ecological Research

As European leaders struggle to avert a second recession a new study finds that future economic growth and the sustenance of the continent’s ecosystem services may be incompatible, unless political priority setting focuses on sustainable development with a special emphasis on biodiversity conservation. The research, published in a special issue of Global Ecology and Biogeography , combines socio-economic, land use, climate and biodiversity models with other approaches to consider three possible routes for the future of Europe’s economy. The scientists explore the multiple impacts on biodiversity within the next century. The special issue is edited by Josef Settele, Ingolf Kühn and Joachim Spangenberg from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ/Germany, Tim Carter from the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE/Finland, and Martin Sykes from the University of Lund/Sweden.

Free Access at the Journal URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.2012.21.issue-1/issuetoc

25. January 2012

Support for a disarmament treaty

Three-quarters of all nations support UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon’s proposal for a treaty to outlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons, according to a study released last week by ICAN.

The report was released one week after the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was moved one minute closer to midnight in response to growing nuclear dangers around the world and a lack of progress towards nuclear abolition. “The vast majority of nations believe it is time to ban nuclear weapons in the same way that biological and chemical weapons have been banned,” said Tim Wright, an ICAN campaigner and the author of the study. Download the study: www.icanw.org/positions

21. January 2012

Beyond the UK: Trends in the Other Nuclear Armed States

This first BASIC Trident Commission briefing by Dr. Ian Kearns from October 30, 2011 outlines recent worrying developments in the nuclear force structures of the world’s nuclear armed states. It argues that “the evidence points to a new era of global nuclear force modernisation and growth”.

It presents evidence that:

• Despite all the recent disarmament rhetoric, there is no evidence that any of the currently nuclear armed states are actively contemplating a future without nuclear weapons;
• The potential for nuclear weapons use is growing;
• Major development or nuclear force modernisation programmes are underway in India, China, the US, Russia, and Pakistan. Israel is on course to develop an inter-continental ballistic missile; India is developing a whole suite of new missiles with longer ranges; Several states are trying to build smaller nuclear warheads for tactical use;
• If anything, the evidence points to new nuclear arms races and a huge amount of money (hundreds of billions of US$) being spent over the coming decade;
• Despite the need for major powers to cooperatively address the challenges of globalisation, nuclear deterrence thinking is still very evident in the defence policies of all the major powers; and
• The New START treaty, while a welcome return to arms control, has a number of loopholes meaning that its affect on disarmament is minimal.

Read the full article here: www.basicint.org/sites/default/files/commission-briefing1.pdf

20. January 2012

New U.S. Global Military Strategy could hint at future moves to reduce dependence on tactical nuclear weapons in Europe

By Chris Lindborg

President Barack Obama made an historic visit to the Pentagon on January 5, 2012 to deliver his remarks on the release of the United States’ “New Global Military Strategy”. During the two-part press conference, he and other defense leaders carefully chose their words to forewarn other American policymakers that big changes will be coming to the U.S. military, and that allies should be ready for big changes too. Read on here: www.basicint.org/news/2012/new-us-global-military-strategy-could-hint-future-moves-reduce-dependence-tactical-nuclear

18. January 2012

Indian Army Chief: Nukes Not For Warfighting

By Hans M. Kristensen

India’s nuclear weapons “are not for warfighting,” the chief of India’s army said Sunday at the Army Day Parade. The weapons have “a strategic capability and that is where it should end,” General V. K. Singh declared.

The rejection of nuclear warfighting ideas is a welcoming development in the debate over the role of nuclear weapons in South Asia. Pakistan’s military’s description of its new snort-range NASR missile as a “shoot and scoot…quick response system” has rightly raised concerns about the potential early use of nuclear weapons in a conflict.

NASR is one of several new nuclear weapon systems that are nearing deployment with warheads from a Pakistani stockpile that has nearly doubled since 2005.

India is also increasing its arsenal and already has short-range missiles with nuclear capability: the land-based Prithvi has been in operation for a decade, and a naval version (Dhanush) is under development. But India’s posture seems focused on getting its medium-range Agni II in operation, developing longer-range versions to target China, and building a limited submarine-based nuclear capability. Read  on here:www.fas.org/blog/ssp/category/hans_kristensen

13. January 2012

Pentagon’s New Strategic Guidance

Summary of Content & Implications
Prepared by Joseph Gerson

In early January the Obama Administration released the Pentagon’s new Guidance, Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense. Designed less to cut U.S. military spending that to reorder Pentagon priorities to ensure full spectrum dominance (dominating any nation, anywhere, at any time, at any level of force) for the first decades of the 21st century. As President Obama himself said, after the near-doubling of military spending during the Bush era, the Guidance will slow the growth of military spending, “but...it will still grow:, in fact by 4% in the coming year.”Read on.

13. January 2012

Guatemala ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT)

Guatemala has reaffirmed its long-standing support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by ratifying the Treaty. The number of ratifications now stands at 156; while a total of 182 States have signed the Treaty.

To read the presse release visit: www.ctbto.org/press-centre/press-releases/2011/press-release-guatemala-ratifies-the-comprehensive-nuclear-test-ban-treaty-ctbt/

11. January 2012

Rio+20 Zero Draft Outcome Document released

The zero draft outcome document – the official document to be negotiated by United Nations Member States in the lead up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) – has been released. Although the text will be extensively negotiated in the coming months and will most likely be modified, the zero draft in its current stage reaffirms Member States commitment to work together for a prosperous, secure and sustainable future for both people and the planet, including by eradicating hunger, want, and all forms of poverty; by committing to make progress on already internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and by enhancing cooperation.  More information here: www.un-ngls.org/spip.php

3. January 2012

The real & propaganda war against Iran is on.

Interview with Ph.D., John Scales Avery

This video is a wonderful and heartening interview with John Avery, who gives us both knowledge and hope to avoid the current real danger of war, including nuclear war.

John Avery is an INES Council member and was part of a group associated with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. He is chairperson of the Danish Peace Academy, and the author of numerous books.
See the interview with TV Street Space Copenhagen here: www.youtube.com/watch