Nuclear war and the future prospects of nuclear disarmament

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Watch the livestreaming here

In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the deepening crisis of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, how grave is the threat of nuclear war and what are the prospects of nuclear disarmament?

The global stockpile of 13,000 approx. warheads across nine Nuclear Weapons States, deteriorating great power relations and new investments in nuclear weapons complexes cause considerable concern, especially among many Non-Nuclear Weapons States. 

This seminar takes stock of these developments and asks if substantial progress on nuclear disarmament is still possible or a distant dream? While the current deadlock in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is cause for pessimism, could the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) be a sign that changes in global nuclear politics are underway? 

Speakers

Patricia Lewis, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, United Kingdom. 
Dr Patricia Lewis leads the International Security programme at Chatham House. Previously she served as deputy director and scientist-in-residence at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the former Monterey Institute of International Studies; director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research; and director of the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre in London. She was on Hans Blix’s 2004–06 WMD Commission; the 2010–11 advisory panel on the future priorities of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; and was an adviser to the 2008–10 International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.

Tarja Cronberg, Distinguished Associate Fellow, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Sto Sweden.

John Kierulf, retired Danish diplomat at Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sverre Lodgaard, Senior Research Fellow Emeritus Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo, Norway.

Rens van Munster, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tom Sauer, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Casper Sylvest, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.

Programme

13.00-14.00     Optional Virtual reality film screening, 'On the Morning You Wake (To the End of the World)',
14.00-14.10     Welcome & introduction, Casper Sylvest and Rens van Munster
14.10-14.45     The state of nuclear disarmament and future challenges, key note speech by Patricia Lewis (online presentation)
14.45-15.00     Coffee break
15.00-16.30     Roundtable discussion with Tarja Cronberg, John Kierulf, Sverre Lodgaard and Tom Sauer

Optional virtual reality film screening from 13.00 to 14.00

The event will feature an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) production, on the topic of nuclear weapons and their threats, from a human perspective. The production, ‘On the Morning You Wake’, uses innovative documentary storytelling and virtual production techniques to viscerally recreate the lived experiences of people who, for 38 minutes, had to react and make impossible decisions in the face of nuclear violence during a false nuclear missile alarm in Hawaii, 2018. Often times, nuclear weapons related issues are discussed in a very complicated manner that people might not understand or relate to, thus the importance of communicating such subjects through storytelling and lived experiences. If you want to experience this then make sure to arrive at DIIS 1 hour before the seminar starts. Check it out here.

The seminar was held and recorded on Tuesday 27 September 2022, 14.00-16.30 at DIIS Auditorium.