2023 World Conference against A and H Bombs
Interna:onal Mee:ng – Session 3Reiner Braun
Interna:onal Peace Bureau (IPB)/ Scien:sts for Peace, Germany/
Ramstein Campaign - close the US airbase
Germany

Dear friends,
We are living in the most dangerous decade since 1945. The situa<on is coming to a headdrama<cally due to the many wars and conﬂicts, not only the war in Ukraine, themoderniza<on of the aforemen<oned new nuclear weapons, the struggle for the futureworld order, and the ever-accelera<ng climate crisis and scarcity of resources. Everywhere,
the previous model of progress and prosperity is losing its power, and new coali<ons areforming interna<onally. Europe is in danger of being pushed to the brink. The arms control
system of the 2000 years has failed, unrestrained rearmament determines the global poli<calagenda.
The dangers of nuclear war and the escala<on dynamics of exis<ng wars and conﬂicts areinextricably linked. We can sum up the threats to peace we face, among others, because of
the war in Ukraine, the conﬂict in Korea, and the threats of murderous weapons up to andincluding nuclear weapons, in the South China Sea as a confronta<on simply in two words:
doomsday clock.
The scenario of all these and more threats to humanity is certainly frighteningly summarized
in the "doomsday clock" of nuclear scien<sts and the "bulle<n of atomic scien<sts". We are
90 seconds before midnight -it says there: we are threatened by the double suicide fast by
the nuclear disaster, slowly by the clima<c disaster with all its eﬀects.
We want to save the planet poli<cally, socially, ecologically, economically and humanly fromnuclear death! This is the challenge for the peace movement - worldwide.
This requires a fundamental poli<cal alterna<ve to nuclear weapons, confronta<on, and war- the poli<cs of common security.

1The core ideas of the Olof Palme Report are as follows: "All states have a right to security andthis security is only possible with each other and not against each other. Nuclear weapons
have changed not only the scope of the war eﬀort but also the nature of war itself. In thenuclear age, war can no longer be a means of policy, but only an occasion for destruc<on on
an unprecedented scale. A concept of common security must take the place of the present
deterrence by high armaments. Peace in the world must be based on a commitment tocommon survival rather than the threat of mutual ex<nc<on. Peace and security are only
possible with each other and not against each other, and all states have legi<mate security
interests (compiled from the Report of the Independent Commission on Disarmament andSecurity, Berlin 1982).”
These are also the core ideas of the 2nd Olof Palme Report of April 2022 "our shared future",
which was developed jointly by the World Federa<on of Trade Unions, the Olof Palme Centerand IPB with many experts.
Compared with the ﬁrst of 1981, this has two expanded core ideas.
Common security requires globaliza<on of the common security policy and regionaliza<on.
n Globaliza<on means that only on the basis of the acceptance of mutual security and acommon understanding of security worldwide can the global challenges such as climate,food, water, waste be solved together in dialogue and interna<onal coopera<on. Only then coopera<vely - a world without nuclear weapons is possible! Everything else are unpoli<calphantasies!
n Regionaliza<on of common security means the applica<on of the principles of common
security to regional conﬂicts and wars. Principles are coopera<on, reciprocity, dialogue,nego<a<ons, respect and trust, arms control agreements and disarmament. Hopefully, thesewill also enable more nuclear-weapon-free zones and states.
n A policy that includes at least steps in the direc<on of common security will enable an end tonuclear sharing. Nuclear weapons must no longer be sta<oned on the territory of nonnuclear-weapon states. Because this is also a viola<on of the NPT treaty.
Disarmament - nuclear and conven<onal - is a central element: it is no longer acceptable
under social, ecological and economic condi<ons that we spend 2 trillion dollars onarmaments every year, that the so-called moderniza<on of the nuclear triad in the USA is to2cost over 1 trillion dollars, while a billion people go to bed hungry, the number of poor
people worldwide has increased by 200 million in 2022, none of the SDGs can even berealized. Rearmament and nuclear weapons are no longer ethically and morally jus<ﬁable,
they are part of the prevailing poli<cal double standards.
Disarmament for development and the aboli<on of all nuclear weapons are central
challenges!
These drama<cally dangerous developments take place on the background of tectonic
geostrategic constella<ons of forces, perhaps only comparable to those of 1815 or 1945. Inshort, the 500 years of rule of the "white colonial man" is over, the emancipa<on of theSouth poli<cally, structurally, economically but also in the understanding of its poli<calleaders replaces the Western hegemonic system under the dominance of the USA. Inclusive
mul<lateralism instead of Western hegemony!
These tectonic shibs have been further dynamized by the war against interna<onal law and
the NATO proxy in Ukraine.
They have implica<ons for everything, including and especially for the work of the peace
movement. There is no alterna<ve to mobilizing people for peace, across genera<ons - asdiﬃcult as it may be individually.
What is necessary from my point of view?
-- We need a new interna<onalism of the peace movement against nuclear weapons, warand destruc<on. More common ground against nuclear weapons and wars must lead tomore common, jointly agreed ac<ons.
-- We are developing new kinds of coali<ons and coopera<on with the governments of theGlobal South- coali<ons of reason. This can enable many more countries to join and ra<fy theTPNW. We are developing regional requirements for a policy of common security and forregional zones without nuclear weapons. Again and again, we advocate a revival of arms
control agreements!
-- Since nuclear weapons threats and deployment plans and real wars are two sides of thesame coin. We demand ceaseﬁre and nego<a<ons also and especially for the war in Ukraine.
We advocate comprehensive linguis<c disarmament and demilitariza<on of speech and3

wri<ng. We reject war propaganda, media clamor for more weapons as well as
propagandis<c na<onalism and arrogance. We oppose sanc<ons on principle and intensify
contacts with the people and civil socie<es of countries that are sanc<oned in viola<on ofinterna<onal law. Our solidarity is with conscien<ous objectors and deserters worldwide.
-- We coordinate our interna<onal ac<vi<es befer. Examples were the ac<ons on the Iraq
war in 2003 but currently also the two peace waves and the Conference in Vienna on peacewith Ukraine - there is much more but s<ll too lifle joint interna<onal ac<on of the peace
movement!
Let me end: Crea<vity and courage, commitment and civil courage is necessary in the face ofhatred, slander, enemy images, and wars in the world! Our vision is a world without nuclear
weapons and war, in the tradi<ons of Mahatma Ghandhi, Nelson Mandela, Berta von Sufner,
Mar<n Luther King and Albert Einstein.
Sincere thanks

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