Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction

Indiana University Bloomington - Restraining the New Nuclear Arms Race: What Scientists and Engineers Can Do to Preserve Nuclear Arms Control
2023-01-18
Colloquium Abstract
We live in an increasingly dangerous nuclear world marked by the abandonment of hard-won arms-control and nonproliferation agreements; the modernization at a cost of trillions of dollars of existing nuclear arsenals; the development of new types of strategic weapons; and threats to use nuclear weapons that risk escalation to large-scale nuclear war. This talk highlights some current and emerging nuclear weapon issues and discusses examples of policy analysis and research where contributions from scientists and engineers could be particularly valuable and timely in advancing efforts to mitigate nuclear weapon risks. The talk also outlines the goals and work by the new Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, which seeks to inform and mobilize the physics community on nuclear arms control and to offer avenues for scientists to take action in the years ahead.
About the Speaker
Alex Glaser is an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. He is the co-director of Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security and serves on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board, which sets the hands of the Doomsday Clock. Foreign Policy named Glaser one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2014 for his work on nuclear warhead verification. Glaser holds a PhD in Physics from Darmstadt University and is a fellow of the American Physical Society.

New Developments in International Treaties on Nuclear Weapons: the NPT and the TPNW
2022-11-14 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
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The 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), also known as the Nuclear Ban Treaty, went into force in January 2021. The treaty was negotiated with the purpose of strengthening the largely unimplemented disarmament pillar of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The NPT has been signed by all but four nations. The Nuclear Ban Treaty has been signed by 91 nations and ratified by 68, none of which are nuclear weapon states. This August saw the completion of the tenth NPT review conference, a meeting held between the parties to the Treaty to review its progress. The conference exposed a rift between the nuclear weapon states and the non-nuclear weapon states on the lack of progress toward the NPT disarmament requirement. In this webinar, we will cover these recent developments, as well as the significance of, and the issue of compatibility between the NPT and TPNW.

Panelists

Zia Mian is a physicist and co-director of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security. He made presentations at the August 2022 NPT Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference and at the first meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in June.
Randy Rydell is a former Senior Political Affairs Officer for the UN’s High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and a staff member working on nonproliferation in the United States Senate. Since his retirement in 2014, he’s served as an Executive Advisor to Mayors for Peace, managed by the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.
Ray Acheson has been providing analysis on arms control diplomacy at the United Nations and other international forums for over a decade as the head of Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament program at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. They are currently a visiting researcher at Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security and a steering group member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

The Nuclear Dimensions of the War in Ukraine
2022-03-28
Our March 28, 2022 briefing examined Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the connection to nuclear weapons. Speakers included Alex Glaser (Princeton University), Daryl Kimball (Arms Control Association), Pavel Podvig (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research – UNIDIR) and Laura Grego (MIT).

President Biden’s Nuclear Posture Review
2021-12-03
Our December 3, 2021 briefing discussed the current status of the Biden Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and unpacked the biggest outstanding controversies and questions. Speakers included Jessica Sleight (Global Zero), Tom Collina (Ploughshares Fund), Laura Grego (MIT), and Charlotte Selton (APS).

Nuclear Arms Racing
2021-09-13
Our September 13, 2021 webinar discussed the dynamics of a nuclear arms race between the US, Russia, and China. Speakers include Steve Fetter (University of Maryland, College Park), Laura Grego (Union of Concerned Scientists), Lyle Goldstein (Naval War College), and Pavel Podvig (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research – UNIDIR).

The Real World Effects of Nuclear Weapons
2021-07-13
Our July 13, 2021 webinar examines the effects of nuclear weapons, including the immediate and direct effects, the impact on climate and food, and how government war planners understand these effects. Speakers include Steve Fetter (University of Maryland, College Park), Matthew McKinzie (Natural Resources Defense Council), Alan Robock (Rutger University), and Lynn Eden (Stanford University).

Influencing Government Policy on Nuclear Weapons
2021-06-10
Our June 10, 2021 webinar discussed how government policy for nuclear weapons is formed, aspects of the current political landscape for nuclear arms control, and current Coalition advocacy on no-first-use. Speakers include Laura Grego (Union of Concerned Scientists), Sharon Weiner (American University), Stephen Young (Union of Concerned Scientists), Stewart Prager (Princeton University), and Charlotte Selton (APS)

Measures to Reduce the Nuclear Threat Under the Biden Administration
2021-01-29
Our January 29th, 2021 webinar covers a range of policy topics including no-first-use, launch-on-warning, ICBM modernization, and presidential sole authority. Speakers include Prof. Angela Di Fulvio (University of Illinois), Prof. Steve Fetter (University of Maryland), Dr. Laura Grego (Union of the Concerned Scientists), Prof. Zia Mian (Princeton University), Prof. Stewart Prager (Princeton University), and Prof. Frank von Hippel (Princeton University).

Nuclear Testing and New START: Nuclear Threat Reduction in 2020 and Beyond
2020-09-09
Our September 9, 2020 panel discussion provides background on current nuclear policy topics and updates on relevant legislation. Panelists Prof. Steve Fetter (University of Maryland) and Prof. Frank Von Hippel (Princeton University) provide briefings on nuclear weapons testing and New START while Dr. Laura Grego (Union of Concerned Scientists) moderates a spirited Q&A session. Also featuring Prof. Stewart Prager (Princeton University), Dr. Sébastien Philippe (Princeton University), and Charlotte Selton (APS)
