by Daniel Rietiker The events that suddenly changed not only the course of warfare, but also of human history, were the explosions of the first nuclear weapon in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico, on 16 July 1945, followed by the subsequent bombings by the USA of Hiroshima, on 6 August 1945, and Nagasaki three…

Introduction by Daniel Rietiker The 2015 NPT Review Conference has ended in a failure on 22 May. No final document could be agreed upon by consensus. One of the major reasons was the lack of agreement on a possible conference (conference only!) on the establishment of a nuclear free zone in the Middle East, a question…

Before and during the NPT Review Conference in NewYork (April/May 2015), a smart, truly global campaign against nuclear weapons has been conducted, involving a lot of young people and school children. Please click here for more information. This article was prepared by Alyn Ware, Basel Peace Office, internationally recognized and awarded consultant for arms control…

by Daniel Rietiker (source: newsru.com) The Russian Federation proposes to convene a Conference in Moscow, no later than 1st of March 2016, in view to establishing a Zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMD in the Middle East. This derives from a statement of the representative of the Russian Federation during a press conference held last week within the…

Introduction [by Daniel Rietiker]: On 27 April, Didier Burkhalter, the Federal Councillor, delivered opening remarks on behalf of Switzerland at the 2015 NPT Review Conference. Our friends from ICAN Switzerland posted some observations on their blog (in German), observations that we largely share. Please click here! We reproduce the speech below for your consideration. Generally speaking,…

In a very useful paper of February 2015, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) outlines, in a nutshell, the ongoing discussion on nuclear disarmament. It derives from this document that, one the one hand, civil society agrees on the ultimate aim, consisting of a world without nuclear weapons but that, on the other hand, the methods and…

In a speech given to the diplomatic community in Geneva, 28 February 2015, Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC, reiterated the organization’s call for the prohibition and elimination of these weapons through a legally binding agreement: “The ICRC believes that reducing the risk of nuclear-weapon use and ensuring their elimination through a legally binding international agreement…

[Maya Brehm, Member of the scientific committee of SAFNA] Last Tuesday (13 January 2015), the Bordeaux administrative court of appeals recognized the right to compensation of nine victims of French nuclear weapons tests. The court rejected eight other claims for compensation. The legal basis for these claims is the ‘Loi Morin’ of 5 January 2008. The law…