Firstly, those who were not able to attend our webinar on the nuclear test ban treaties can watch the full webinar back on YouTube here. Thanks to Dave Cullen who joined our Chair Lynn Jamieson is giving an informative overview of the importance of the comprehensive test ban treaty, and how geopolitics could be putting its norms could at risk.
Secondly – the Scottish CND AGM is just round the corner! It takes place on Saturday 14th November and we are pleased to host a panel of expert peace campaigners as part of our open session on nuclear weapons in Europe.
The 10-11:30am session of our AGM is open to all supporters, even if you are not a member. You can register free to attend here. Once the morning session is over, we will ask non-members to leave the meeting so we can continue with organisational matters.
We look forward to hearing from Ulla Klötzer (World BEYOND War), Jean-Marie Collin (ICAN) and Sophie Bolt (CND UK) about the risks of nuclear proliferation in Europe.
Ulla Klötzer will discuss the ongoing moves by some northern European countries to host nuclear weapons on their territories. Jean-Marie Collin will speak to the recently-announced plans for French nuclear weapons sharing across European countries. Sophie Bolt, General Secretary of UK CND, will discuss the domestic and international context for disarmament campaigning, and give an overview of the UK government’s nuclear weapons policies and failure to engage with disarmament initiatives.
This meeting is especially timely as European countries have just finished participating in nuclear war exercises Steadfast Noon (led by NATO) and Rummy (led by France). European forces participated in the US’ Global Thunder nuclear war exercise, which also took place in October.
NATO outspends Russia ten to one on nuclear weapons every year, and commits inordinate time and resources to showcasing its willingness to wage nuclear war. Yet, this arrangement has not provided a sufficient sense of security for some European states, who are planning to get involved in further ‘nuclear sharing’ with either the US or France.
Finland recently its bans on nuclear weapons to open the door for hosting French or US nuclear forces. Lithuania is also taking steps to revoke its nuclear ban. Poland is reportedly considering participating in ‘nuclear sharing’ as part of NATO.
These developments cast a Cold War shadow over Europe, and should remind us of that history in which nuclear proliferation brought Europe to the precipice of catastrophe in the 1980s.
Our guests will provide important context and analysis to help understand the current moment, and discuss the indispensable role the peace and disarmament movement must play in the coming years.
Finally, a reminder you can now read all of Scottish CND’s publications on our Substack – make sure to subscribe for free! Our most recent article was authored by Lynn Jamieson in The National and focused on how diplomacy can be successful even under highly adversarial circumstances.
Thank you for continuing to support our campaign.