Any list of the gravest threats to humanity must contain nuclear weapons. Because of the spread of such weapons during recent years, and because the states which have nuclear weapons have not lived up to their promises in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, I would say that the threat of nuclear weapons is a threat to the survival of humanity.
This may well be the day the world changed forever. This may well be the day which we for the first time in human history saw the hope of a truly unified world. This may well be the day the American empire began its decline – for the benefit of all.
Today president Obama held a speech in Prague where he envisioned a world without nuclear weapons. If he spoke the truth, and that the US under his leadership truly will undertake the actions he outlined this day, then a clear and permanent break with history has been achieved.
President Obama talked about his wish that the US should ratify the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. This is a very important first step, and it would bring the US in line with the rest of the world and could create a powerful example.
The most important step by far would be the ratification of a verifiable fissile material cutoff (fissban) treaty, something president Obama said he wanted. The UN committee of disarmament has twice voted on such a verifiable treaty. In 2004 the vote was 147 to one (the US), and in 2005 the vote was 179 to two (the US and Palau). If the US under president Obama would vote for such a treaty, then the world would stand united against the creation of new nuclear weapons.
Another almost unbelievable acknowledgement by president Obama, was that he recognized the right of Iran to pursue peaceful nuclear energy – A right that has been obvious to all because Iran has signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but a right that the US so far vehemently has opposed.
Though president Obama’s statement in the speech was vague, he almost seemed to support a proposal made by Nobel peace prize winner and head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei. This proposal states that all production and processing of weapon-usable nuclear material should be under international control, so that only those willing to use it for peaceful purposes would have access. To my knowledge the only country which so far has agreed to such a proposal is Iran.
I do not know with what level of sincerity president Obama spoke today, but if he truly was sincere, then a giant leap has been taken towards increased security of all mankind.
Here is a link to the speech in Prague:
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