Don't even THINK about starting a nuclear war!
Posted: 16th December 2021
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Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war!
NPT Open Letter sent, pro forma,
to the nuclear weapon states
On December 15, NoFirstUse Global sent, pro forma, an Open Letter: Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security to the nuclear weapon states parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (China, France, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States).
The Open Letter, which is currently circulating for endorsement, is also being sent to the other States Parties to the NPT, and to the non-parties (India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea). It will be presented to the NPT Review Conference in January 2022. (Click here for a PDF version with the current list of about 350 endorsers).
It calls on States Parties to the NPT, and the nuclear weapon states in particular, to:
- End the nuclear arms race;
- Phase out the role of nuclear weapons in security policies starting with no-first-use policies;
- Commit to a timeframe for the elimination of nuclear weapons;
- Shift budgets and public investments from the nuclear weapons industry to instead support public health, climate stabilization and sustainable development.
Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war
The nuclear weapon States should “Listen up!” and not ignore the important calls made in the Open Letter, according to Aaron Tovish, Director of Zona Libre in a blog article “Dear nuclear powers: Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war!” published by NoFirstUse Global yesterday.“The cost of ignoring it (the Open Letter), of course, has nothing to do with direct consequences to your persons; it has everything to do with the danger to all of humanity and the precious world we call home,” says Mr Tovish who also serves on the NoFirstUse Global Steering Committee.
“The plain truth is that you have shamelessly abused the privileges accorded to you under the NPT. Whereas over 185 of the Non-Nuclear-Weapon States (NNWSs) parties to the NPT have, for over half a century, scrupulously honoured their obligations to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons, placing their nuclear energy facilities under safeguards, each of you blithely continues to allocate vast financial and human resources to acquiring nuclear weapons, including “modernising” and deploying them,” says Mr Tovish.
“Collectively you spend around $100 billion per year on these activities – resources that are acutely needed to address public health and the pandemic, the climate crisis, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and sustainable development.
“And while – thank goodness! — you do not threaten to escalate to nuclear warfare against NNWSs that are not allied to your nuclear adversaries, four of you (China excepted) continue to threaten, and prepare for, such escalation against nuclear armed states and their allies. This puts the world on the brink of nuclear catastrophe every time a crisis develops between you and a nuclear armed adversary. How can you even THINK about starting a nuclear war?”
“Basically, on both these scores what the Open Letter says is: “Enough is enough!”
Aaron Tovish, Director of Zona Libre and author of ‘Dear nuclear powers: Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war!’
NoFirstUse Global is a network of organizations, academics, policy makers and civil society advocates working cooperatively for the adoption of no-first-use policies by nuclear-armed States, the support for such policies from nuclear allied countries, and the implementation of such policies to help achieve broader nuclear risk-reduction, non-proliferation and disarmament measures.