The Case for Nuclear Abolition

The Case for Nuclear Abolition

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The Nation‘s Jonathan Schell has spent the better part of a enormously productive career making the case for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The new president seems more open to this message than any of his Oval Office predecessors, stating clearly on the campaign trail that, “This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.” And Obama isn’t alone, nor can nuclear abolition still be painted as a partisan liberal issue when former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, among many other credentialed conservatives, have joined the cause.

Huge practical problems have to first be addressed before the threat of these weapons of mass destruction can be eliminated but there’s more reason for hope than perhaps ever before. Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote about an important and inspiring new international group gaining traction, Global Zero, which launched in Europe a few months ago with a goal of taking on these problems and eliminating all nuclear weapons in 20 to 25 years.

In this country, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pushing the issue with a new video contest offering $1,000 to the first-prize winner. The contest? Simply answer this question in a video of three minutes or less: How can we achieve a world free of nuclear weapons by the year 2020? You can view the entries here.

I like this one…

Check out the contest site if you want to submit a video and/or find further resources. The deadline is June 15. The contest is open to activists of all ages.


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We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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