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Twelve Thousand Bombs: ‘Resurgence of Nuclear Weapons’ with Professor Angela Di Fulvio
Tuesday, March 19 , 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CDT
Nuclear weapons did not disappear with the end of the Cold War. Presently, there are over 12,000 nuclear bombs on earth, owned by nine nations, kept on the tips of missiles in submarines and silos on hair trigger alert. For the first time this century, nuclear weapons are in the spotlight. Nuclear tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been steadily escalating following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while China silently arms itself to reach parity as a third nuclear superpower. Iran is likely to obtain nuclear weapons in the next few years, while North Korean missiles may soon be capable of reaching the continental United States. Against this backdrop, the U.S. is currently undertaking a $1.5 trillion modernization campaign of its nuclear arsenal, but is this actually necessary for global security or is misguided U.S. military spending driving a new arms race that endangers us all? This seminar series will explore the real dangers and legacy of harm from nuclear weapons so that the ISU community can be informed citizens in a nuclear age.
Professor Angela Di Fulviogive will give a brief overview of the resurgent role of nuclear weapons in national security strategies, the threat that they pose to the public, and potential risk mitigation approaches.
Recent events, including the U.S. withdrawal from arms control treaties and the pursuit of new nuclear weapons capabilities in the nine nuclear weapons states, suggest we may be facing a revived nuclear arms race with its dangerous consequences. In this context, during the past three years, a group of U.S. physical scientists has held more than 100 colloquia on nuclear weapons, reaching more than 4,000 attendees, and recruited over 850 scientists to the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction through which scientists educate themselves and then help educate Congress about the renewed risks of nuclear war and the possibilities for reducing those risks. Members have participated in three advocacy campaigns aimed at ensuring that explosive nuclear testing does not resume, extending the New START treaty, and enacting a no-first-use policy.
Twelve Thousand Bombs will run through the spring 2024 semester. A full schedule of speakers is available HERE
