Ira Helfand

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InternacionalOrden Mundial

Honduras just became the 50th nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on Saturday. The accord has now met the required threshold to enter into force in 90 days -- on January 22.

This event marks the first time since Hiroshima that the simple possession of nuclear weapons will be deemed a crime under international law -- though it is not binding on nations who do not sign it. The treaty's entry into force could not be timelier.

The President of the United States has the ability to launch a nuclear attack on his own authority, without requiring the authorization of Congress, the Cabinet, the vice president or the Joint Chiefs.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Later this month, President Obama will visit Hiroshima.

Seventy-one years after an atomic bomb leveled the city, it is no doubt progress that a sitting U.S. president, the commander of a nuclear arsenal that can destroy the world many times over, will finally see firsthand what these weapons can do.

But it is not enough that he pay only a ceremonial visit. The President needs to meet with survivors of the attack, known as Hibakusha (which translates literally to "explosion-affected people"), and listen to what they are telling him and the world: You must understand the full horror of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Next week marks the 70th anniversary of the first use of atomic weapons, when the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by atom bombs that ultimately claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and left tens of thousands more injured and suffering the effects of radiation.

Back in 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered an important speech in Prague, where he focused at length on the ongoing nuclear threat and the continued existence of thousands of nuclear weapons, which he described as "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War."

Fast forward to today, and it is time for the President to again speak on this issue.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalOrden Mundial

On Wednesday, President Obama took a meaningful step toward reshaping our nuclear arsenal in line with the reality of 21st-century security priorities. Standing at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, he announced that he would seek negotiated cuts with Russia of up to one-third of strategic nuclear weapons as well as address the issue of nuclear weapons stationed in Europe.

But we must understand that these proposed reductions are significant only if they are part of an ongoing effort to eliminate nuclear weapons altogether. If they serve to legitimize the indefinite retention of nuclear weapons at an "acceptable" level, the specter of nuclear catastrophe will continue to haunt humanity, for arsenals of this reduced size would still inflict unimaginable destruction across the planet.…  Seguir leyendo »