Eliminating Nuclear Weapons

The end of the Cold War over two decades ago should have led to rapid progress toward the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Instead, the nuclear weapon states are maintaining thousands of nuclear weapons, many on high alert, and are continuing to design, research, test and deploy new nuclear weapons systems.
The Nuclear Bomb: A weapon in search of a target

US policy is to maintain nuclear weapons indefinitely
Presidential Decision Directive 60 

Unless sincere efforts are made by the nuclear weapons states to eliminate their stockpiles under international agreement, other countries are likely to also acquire nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan recently followed the example of the other nuclear weapon states by openly testing nuclear weapons through nuclear explosions and declaring their nuclear capability
India and Pakistan: A way out of the quagmire.

The prospect of a nuclear armed Cold War heating up again became apparent during the Serbian/NATO war
Triumphalists at Work.

LCNP believes that that nuclear states have a legal obligation under Article VI of the Non Proliferation Treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons within a reasonable timeframe.
1984 Revisited: Comments on Implementation of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

They should also take immediate steps such as taking all existing nuclear forces off alert
The Legal Case for De-Alerting Nuclear Weapons.

Between June 1999 and December 2000, LCNP board member and disarmament expert William Epstein posted regular progress reports on international nuclear disarmament issues, initiatives and negotiations Nuclear Disarmament Commentary.

Strange Spectacle: Nuclear Security Summit 2016, John Burroughs, IPS, April 21, 2016

Policies Regarding Nuclear Arms Control and Disarmament in the Trump Administration, LCNP Memorandum, December 19, 2016

Defend the Unequivocal Undertaking to Eliminate Nuclear Arsenals, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, NPT PrepCom, Vienna, May 3, 2017

Nuclear Arms Racing is Antithetical to the NPT, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, April 25, 2018, Civil Society Presentation to NPT PrepCom, Geneva

Creating the Conditions for International Peace and Human Security (CCIPHS), Jacqueline Cabasso on behalf of Western States Legal Foundation and LCNP, First Committee, UN General Assembly, October 17, 2018

Nuclear Arms Racing is Antithetical to the NPT, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, April 25, 2018, Civil Society Presentation to NPT PrepCom, Geneva

The Way Forward to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, Remarks of John Burroughs, Canadian Pugwash Conference, Pugwash, Nova Scotia, July 9-11, 2015

Taking Nuclear Missiles Off Hair-Trigger Alert, LCNP President Guy Quinlan, May 2015

Strange Spectacle: Nuclear Security Summit 2016, John Burroughs, IPS, April 21, 2016

Letter to President Obama Calling for Moratorium on Testing Hypersonic Missiles, January 13, 2016

Letters to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand urging support for the Iran agreement, July 23, 2015

Celebrating Angela Kane, May 11, 2015
- Messages of Appreciation from civil society

Judge Weeramantry's Message to the Peace and Planet Conference, April 24, 2015
- Conference videos and photos

Letter to President Obama calling for action to dealert nuclear forces, April 7, 2015

NPT 2015 Review Conference Robust Debate but No Agreement at the 2015 NPT Review Conference, John Burroughs, LCNP Executive Director, June 2015 (PDF) The NPT Phoenix—Success from the Ashes of Failure? Alyn Ware, UNFOLD ZERO, May 24, 2015 Nuclear Disarmament: The Fierce Urgency of Now, IALANA presentation delivered by IALANA Co-President Peter Weiss at the 2015 NPT Review Conference Nuclear Weapons: Humanitarian Aspects and Legal Framework, presentation by LCNP Executive Director John Burroughs at an NPT side-event organized by the Hiroshima Prefecture, April 29, 2015

Letter to Secretary of Defense Calling for Legal Review of Nuclear Weapons Modernization Program, November 19, 2014

Building Blocks Approach for a World without Nuclear Weapons, remarks by John Burroughs, October 22, 2014

U.S. Should Seek Compliance with the INF Treaty, Not Withdraw from It, LCNP Statement, August 2014

Facing the Dangers of 21st Century Great Power War: A Conference on the Centenary of World War I, New York City, May 3, 2014
- Video, remarks, conference documents
- Remarks of John Burroughs
- International Law Before and After WWI: Peter Weiss, No-to-NATO newsletter, September 2013, p. 6

Open letter calling on President Obama to move from talk to action on nuclear disarmament, April 28, 2014

A Nuclear Tipping Point, Remarks by Guy Quinlan, LCNP President, Rock Tavern Unitarian Universalist Church, April 4, 2014

Nuclear Disarmament: The State of Play, Peter Weiss, The Huffington Post, March 5, 2014

Nuke Summit Agenda Circumvents Armed Powers, Thalif Deen, IPS, February 11, 2014

Letter to President Obama urging US attendance at the February 2014 Mexico conference on humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons and good faith at the Conference on Disarmament
January 29, 2014

Nuclear Verification Report: The Unspoken Implication, Guy Quinlan, January 2014

Obama Sharpens His Nuclear Posture
Peter Weiss, Otherwords, July 10, 2013

UN High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, IALANA News, November 2013 John Burroughs

A Middle East Without WMD: A Palestine-Israel Journal Conference in Jersualem
with LCNP's Peter Weiss, October 31, 2013

Letter to President Obama
urging him to speak at the September 26, 2013 UN High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament

U.N. Accused of Playing Down Nuke Disarmament Conference, Thalif Deen, IPS, May 6, 2013

Nuclear Weapons, International Law, and the Future of the Planet, Remarks of John Burroughs at event sponsored by the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace & Security, May 7, 2013

Student Legal Advocacy & Nuclear Disarmament: Reflections of One Law Student’s Journey, Kevin Krauss, ILSA Quarterly, February 2013

General Assembly Informal Meeting marks the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, September 6, 2012
Remarks of John Burroughs
UN Press Account
UN Webcast

Mapping the Issues: Interactive Maps on Nuclear Disarmament, Genocide, Space Security, and Arctic Security, The Simons Foundation, launched July 2012. Content for Nuclear Disarmament Map provided by LCNP.

Iran: from prince to pariah, Rebecca Lowe, IBA Global Insight, June 2012

Global Rule of Law & Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, Web Seminar, World Academy of Art & Science, May 15, 2012
Abolition of nuclear weapons [audio], Alyn Ware
Moving beyond deterrence [audio], John Burroughs paper

The Challenge of Nuclear Abolition, Remarks of Peter Weiss, May 2, 2012, Vienna

LCNP letter re presidential nuclear guidance, February 14, 2012

Asian Leaders Campaign Against Nukes in Own Backyard, Thalif Deen, IPS, December 12, 2011. Inaugural Statement of Asia Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, December 12, 2011

Unfreezing Disarmament, John Burroughs, Nuclear Abolition News/IPS Columnist Service, November 2011

Revitalizing multilateral negotiations: an alternative approach, Reaching Critical Will and Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, July 2011

Towards a Nuclear Weapons Convention: A Role for Canada, Ottawa, April 11-12, 2011
Remarks by John Burroughs
Remarks by Michael Byers

Civil Society Challenges Nuclear Deterrence Doctrine, Thalif Deen, IPS, February 24, 2011

Statement Opposing a US Green Light for Saudi Production of Nuclear Fuel, February 7, 2011

The U.S. Nuclear Posture Review and International Law, John Burroughs, Michigan International Lawyer, Summer 2010, pp. 2-8

Time for a New Start on Abolition, Peter Weiss, December 23 2010

Delegitimizing Nuclear Weapons, Panel Discussion, NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, December 6, 2010

The US Nuclear Posture Review: A Study in Contradictions, John Burroughs, Disarmament Times, Summer 2010

Despite Cuts, Nukes Still Integral to U.S. Security Strategy, Haider Rizvi, IPS, July 23, 2010

Written Evidence, Jonathan Granoff, House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Committee, Fourth Report, Global Security: Non-Proliferation, June 3, 2009

Peace, Law and Nuclear Weapons (As Seen by Two Jews and an Arab), Peter Weiss, Palestine-Israel Journal, March 2010

Nuclear Weapons: Good News, But Not Good Enough, Press Release, April 14, 2010
Is the U.S. Going Soft on Israeli, Indian & Pakistani Nukes?, Thalif Deen, IPS, April 15, 2010

LCNP Response to Nuclear Posture Review Report, John Burroughs, April 14, 2010

Nuclear Disarmament by Popular Demand, Anabel Dwyer, Michigan state bar seminar, Detroit, April 6, 2010

The Non-Proliferation Treaty 40 Years On: Paving the Way to Abolition, United Nations, March 5, 2010, Remarks of John Burroughs, Remarks of Tim Wright

Law School Hosts Nuclear Non-Proliferation Conference, Quinnipiac University, Quad News, February 21, 2010

UN Security Council Summit on Nuclear Weapons: What the Resolution Does and Does Not Say, Press Advisory, September 23, 2009
Democracy Now! interview with John Burroughs, September 25, 2009
Obama Seeks UN Backing for Nuke-Free World, Thalif Deen, IPS, September 24, 2009
Obama to Bolster Nuclear Disarmament at U.N., Thalif Deen, IPS, August 12, 2009
Recommended UN Security Council Actions to Advance Nuclear Disarmament, John Burroughs, July 2009

Mexico City Declaration, Disarming for Peace and Development, UN DPI/NGO Conference, September 9-11, 2009
Opening Address, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, September 9, 2009

The Partnership Between the United Nations and Civil Society to Achieve A World Free of Nuclear Weapons, Sergio Duarte, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, September 18, 2009

Pervez Hoodbhoy, The Pakistani Nuclear Weapons Program, July 14, 2009 presentation co-sponsored by LCNP and The Nation
Seymour Hersh, Defending the Arsenal: In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear weapons be kept safe?, The New Yorker, November 16, 2009

LCNP Statement on President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, Peter Weiss, October 9, 2009

North Korea Test a Setback to Nuke-Free World, Thalif Deen, IPS, May 27, 2009

No Nuclear Weapons. Why Not?, Peter Weiss and
Elizabeth J. Shafer, NY Times Letter, May 2009

The Imperative of Good Faith, John Burroughs, Elizabeth Shafer, Phon van den Biesen, and John Loretz

Judge Weeramantry, Response to President Obama’s Prague speech: bridging the vision and the corridors of power, April 20, 2009
Remarks by President Barack Obama, Prague, April 5, 2009

Six Reasons Why Nuclear Weapons Are More Dangerous Than Ever, Peter Weiss, American University International Law Review, 2007

Controlling the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Michael Spies, Disarmament Times, Spring 2008, p.1

The Legal and Policy Imperatives for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, Statement of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, July 2008

Ending U.S. Reliance on Nuclear Weapons and Achieving Their Global Elimination: Wise Policy and Required by Law, Statement of the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy, March 2008

Stagnation and Redundancy: Report on the 2007 UN First Committee, Michael Spies, Disarmament Diplomacy, Spring 2008

Rebuttal of the U.S. Statement on Nuclear Weapons Alert, Dismantlements and Reductions, Hans Kristensen, Federation of American Scientists, October 19, 2007

Rebuttal of the U.S. Statement on the Alert Status of U.S. Nuclear Forces, Bruce Blair, World Security Institute, October 13, 2007

Ways to Advance the Disarmament Agenda, Remarks to the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, John Burroughs, July 18, 2007

The WMD Commission One Year Later: Impact and Assessment, John Burroughs, Disarmament Diplomacy, Summer 2007

Restructuring Disarmament, John Burroughs, Disarmament Times, Spring 2007, p. 2

The Imperial Presidency and the Consequences of 9/11: Lawyers React to the Global War on Terrorism, James Silkenat and MarkShulman, eds, 2007

Towards Security Without Nuclear Weapons, John Burroughs, remarks at meeting of the Middle Powers Initiative’s Article VI Forum, Vienna, March 30, 2007

Peacerights legal opinion on the replacement of the UK Trident, March 6, 2007

LCNP Statement on Replacement of the UK Trident System, March 2007

27,000 Holocausts, Pinky Show interview with John Burroughs, February 7, 2007 (quicktime video, 32mb)Secretary-General Adjusts DDA Proposal, John Burroughs, February19, 2007

NGO Letter to the United Nations in support of an independent

Department for Disarmament Affairs, February 7, 2007

Outline of Testimony by John Burroughs, Trial of the "Ground Zero Three," Port Orchard, Washington, January 24, 2007

What Happened to Nuclear Disarmament? Interview with John Burroughs and Philip Coyle, KUOW – Seattle (NPR affiliate), January 24, 2007

From Auschwitz to Trident (YouTube), John Burroughs, Seattle Town Hall, January 20, 2007 (slides)

U.S. Nuclear Hypocrisy and the Iraq War, John Burroughs, January 21, 2007, Citizens' Hearing on the Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq

Regarding "Hybrid Designs for Warheads," Peter Weiss, January 7, 2007

Trampling the Opinions of Humankind, John Burroughs, December 11, 2006

What is a Crime Against Humanity? Pinky Show interview with Peter Weiss, December 11, 2006 (quicktime video, 18mb)

Growing U.S. Isolation at the United Nations on Disarmament and Security, Michael Spies, December 9, 2006

Commentary on Kofi Annan’s "Mutually Assured Paralysis" Speech, John Burroughs, December 1, 2006

The U.N.'s Unfinished Nuclear Business, Zia Mian, December 1, 2006

Nagasaki Appeal 2006, 3rd Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, October 23, 2006

Fulfilling the NPT Bargain: Next Steps, Middle Powers Initiative briefing paper, Article VI Forum, Ottawa, September 28-29, 2006

Return to the ICJ: one page flyer, World Court Project UK, September 2006

Press Release: Defiant US Fires Long-Range Test Missile, July 20, 2006

This time, let's listen to Blix on WMD, John Burroughs, Chicago Sun-Times, June 17, 2006

Transcript: Arms Control Association Press Briefing, Hans Blix, Robert Einhorn, Jonathan Tucker, and John Burroughs, June 7, 2006

Press Release: Blix Commission Report on WMD A "Wake-Up Call," Say Advocacy Groups, June 1, 2006

The Prevention and Prosecution of Terrorist Acts: A Survey of Multilateral Instruments, New York City Bar, Committee on International Security Affairs, June 2006

Preventing Nuclear Terrorism, John Burroughs, Shield New York Conference, September 30, 2005

Divine Strake:

Press Release, Divine Strake Lawsuit, May 22, 2006

Declaration of John Burroughs, Divine Strake Lawsuit, May 20, 2006

More Divine Strake resources...

Iran:

Iran and The Limits of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime, Michael Spies, American University International Law Review, 2007

The Security Council and Iran: Further Escalation and Isolation, Commentary on resolution 1747 (2007) on Iran, Michael Spies, updated: April 3, 2007

Iran and the Role of the Security Council, Michael Spies, March 8, 2007

UN Security Council Escalates Nuclear Situation with Iran, Michael Spies, January 10, 2007

The Phantom Threat, Commentary on the draft Security Council resolution on Iran, Michael Spies, October 30, 2006

Commentary on Security Council Resolution 1696 on Iran, Michael Spies and John Burroughs, July 31, 2006

Commentary on the Possible Security Council Resolution on Iran, Michael Spies and John Burroughs, July 26, 2006

IALANA Statement Regarding the Iran/U.S. Crisis, May 24, 2006

The Letter, Michael Spies, May 18, 2006

DeFazio: War on Iran is up to Congress, not President, John Burroughs, May 7, 2006

Undeclared Nuclear Activities and Outstanding Issues: Clean Bill of Health?, Michael Spies, May 4, 2006

Commentary on the France/UK draft Security Council resolution, John Burroughs, May 3, 2006

Options for the Security Council, John Burroughs, May 2, 2006

Iran's Overhyped Nuclear Progress, Michael Spies, April 20, 2006

The U.S. and Iran: Time to Talk, John Burroughs, April 18, 2006

Hersh’s Bombshell: Commentary on Seymour Hersh’s "The Iran Plans," John Burroughs, April 8, 2006

Presidential Statement Draft Elements: Points and Recommendations, March 20, 2006

Iran and the Security Council: Points and Recommendations, February 28, 2006

Iran and the Limits of the Non-Proliferation Regime, Michael Spies, American University International Law Review Conference, February 9, 2006
ElBaradei Steps Over the "Red Line", Michael Spies, February 22, 2006
“Reporting” Iran to the Security Council, Michael Spies, February 1, 2006
Hans Blix on Iran, John Burroughs, January 26, 2006

For NY Times, Washington is NPT's enforcer, not a violator, Steve Rendall, Extra! July/August 2005

More Iran resources

Also in this section:

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy and the New U.S. Peace Movement, John Burroughs and Jacqueline Cabasso, Third Nuclear Disarmament Days, Vitry, France, March 11, 2006

Legal Requirements to Achieve Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, John Burroughs, Article VI Forum, The Hague, March 2, 2006

The Legal Framework for Non-Use and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Briefing Paper for Greenpeace International, John Burroughs, February 2006

Peacerights Legal Opinion Re UK Trident Nuclear Missile System, Rabinder Singh, QC, and Prof. Christine Chinkin, December 19, 2005

Reporting to the 1540 Committee - A Snapshot, Lars Olberg, November 2005

Letter re UN Summit to House International Relations Committee, September 26, 2005

LCNP Statement on World Summit Declaration, September 14, 2005
pdf version

The Disarmament Debate: The Fate of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Interview with John Burroughs, Harvard International Review, Summer 2005

Letter to UN Missions Re Millennium +5 Summit, August 17, 2005

Iran Dispute Sparks East-West Rivalry, IPS, September 22, 2005

Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons: Illegal Then, Illegal Now, LCNP Handout for August 2005 actions commemorating U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
pdf version

Nuclear Risks: Necessity and Illegality, Elizabeth Shafer, August 2005
pdf version

Judge Weeramantry, Is There a Role for Nuclear Weapons Today? Arms Control Today, July/August 2005

NY Times on Failed NPT Review Conference, May 28, 2005

Nuclear Pact Threatened, Toronto Star, April 23, 2005

Coming to grips with doomsday, Seattle Times, June 30, 2005

Civil Society Presentation to the NPT Review Conference on Article VI Compliance (pdf), Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy/Western States Legal Foundation, May 2005
UN Press Release
All NGO Statements (pdf)

Thirteen Practical Steps: Legal or Political?, Peter Weiss, John Burroughs, Michael Spies, May 2005
pdf version

Why Demand Nuclear Abolition Now - Talking Points, May 2005

Letter Opposing Confirmation of John Bolton as UN Ambassador, March 15, 2005 pdf version
press release

Legal, technical and political elements required for the establishment and maintenance of a nuclear weapons free world, Malaysia, Draft working paper for the 2005 NPT Review Conference

Snaring the Sun: Opportunities to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation and advance nuclear disarmament through an abolition framework, (doc) working paper, Alyn Ware, Kate Dewes, and Michael Powles, January 2005

Policy Brief- Coherence Matters: Nuclear Policy Highlights, Jonathon Granoff and John Burroughs, October 25, 2004

Appeal on the Operational Status of Nuclear Weapons: Statement of Endorsement, Model U.N. Resolution, October 13, 2004

The Global Threat of Nuclear Weapons, John Burroughs, Peace Messenger Cities Assembly, September 10, 2004

International Ju-Jitsu: Using Security Council Resolution 1540 to Advance Nuclear Disarmament pdf, Alyn Ware, July 2004

Security Council Resolution 1540, NGO Information and Resources, hosted by Reaching Critical Will.

The Nuclear Threat: Basics and New Trends pdf, John Burroughs, June 25, 2004, Barcelona Forum 2004

The Shameful U.S. Record in UN Disarmament Votes, December 9, 2003

Nuclear Weapons and Preventive War, Peter Weiss, November 2, 2003

Global Security Treaties: Strengthening the Rule of Law, UN briefing, John Burroughs, October 30, 2003

Legality of Interception of WMD Shipments (pdf), Sue Yang, October 2003

Global Disarmament Starts at Home, talking points, August 2003

Arms Control Abandoned: The Case of Biological Weapons (pdf), Nicole Deller and John Burroughs, World Policy Journal, summer 2003

2002 Nuclear Posture Review: Strategic and Legal Ramifications, Charles J. Moxley Jr., April 16, 2002

North Korea:

Nonproliferation Treaty Applies to Both North Korea and the United States, John Burroughs, spring 2003

Compliance Assessment of North Korean and U.S. Obligations Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and 1994 Agreed Framework briefing paper by IEER and LCNP, January 24, 2003

ABM Treaty Lawsuit:

The ABM Treaty Lawsuit - includes pleadings, hearing transcript, decision, press releases, and news articles

Memorandum Opinion, U.S. District Court, December 30, 2002 (pdf)

Press Release on U.S. District Court Decision, January 1, 2003 pdf-file

Features on September 11, 2001:

Op-ed in The Washington Times: A call to arms control by Jim Wurst

War: Metaphor into Reality by Peter Weiss

Terrorism and Nuclear Disarmament by Alyn Ware

UN Resolutions re: September 11, 2001 with explanatory comments by John Burroughs

Featured Materials:

NGO Farewell Reception for Jayantha Dhanapala, remarks by Mr. Dhanapala, May 13, 2003

Inciting Impediments: The Harm of U.S. Nuclear Policies to Prospects for Peace in India and Pakistan by Elizabeth Shafer, J.D., August 2002

International Law, Security, and Weapons of Mass Destruction by Jayantha Dhanapala - speech given at American Bar Association Spring Meeting 2002

Disarmament, Non-Proliferation, and the Rule of Law by Jayantha Dhanapala - speech given at the 20th Anniversary reception of LCNP, November 27, 2001

The President, the Constitution and the ABM Treaty by Peter Weiss

The New Agenda Initiative: An Analysis by Jim Wurst and John Burroughs

Ending the Nuclear Nightmare: A Strategy for the Bush Administration by Jim Wurst and John Burroughs

Nuclear Weapons-Free Zones: Crucial Steps Towards a Nuclear-Free World a press release

"Reducing the Role of Nuclear Weapons in Security Doctrines": Nuclear Beginnings and Endings talk at the UN by John Burroughs

The Rule of Law (Letter to the New York Times)

Missile Shield: A National Priority? (Letter to the New York Times)

US Must Keep its Word on Nuclear Weapons--op-ed by Peter Weiss

Federal Constitutional Act concerning a Nuclear-free Austria, adopted July 1, 1999:

- original in German

By Category:

Nuclear Policy & Practice

Nuclear Testing

Non-Proliferation Treaty

Initiatives and progress reports

Speeches

Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones

"If the militarily most powerful - and least threatened - states need nuclear weapons for their security, how can one deny such security to countries that are truly insecure?  The present nuclear policy is a recipe for proliferation.  It is a policy for disaster."

Josef Rotblat
Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1995