Consequences matter: why nuclear weapons had to be banned

摘要

My professional career as an expert on the consequences of nuclear weapons and as an advocate for their elimination came to a bittersweet end on 10 December 2017 in Oslo, when ICAN received the Nobel Peace Prize. I retired after nearly 40 years working for the abolition of nuclear weapons, more than half of that time with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and, previously, with its US affiliate, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). I say 'bittersweet,' because the elation I felt over the fact that we had successfully banned nuclear weapons and had earned a Nobel prize was tempered by the prospect of a new, multi-state nuclear arms race and a danger of nuclear war that is as high as it has been since the coldest days of the Cold War - perhaps even higher.