In the seventh workshop of our series “Security and the Left in Europe – Towards a New Left Concept of Security”, we will discuss with Tom Unterrainer on steps towards a nuclear-free Europe in the current context of the war in Ukraine and the threat of nuclear escalation.
This workshop takes place in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the escalating threats to use nuclear weapons as well as calls to further weaponise our continent. Nuclear deterrence was thought to be a thing of the past, but the nightmare of a nuclear war seems closer than ever. The situation is dire and therefore spaces of honest exchange on non-militarised security concepts are more needed than ever.
The entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 22 January 2021 has been a major milestone in the struggle for world free of nuclear weapons. The TPNW has currently 60 state parties and 86 signatories. The First Meeting of States Parties is scheduled for 21 to 23 June 2022 in Vienna.
Therefore, we will discuss on the following questions:
- What would a nuclear-free Europe actually mean and what steps must be taken to achieve it?
- Looking at the discussions among the left, organisations and campaigners alike: How does the war in Ukraine affect the struggle for a Europe as a nuclear-free zone?
- How does the imminent threat of a nuclear escalation shape the positions of governments in Europe, but also worldwide?
- The politics of nuclear deterrence has shaped the Cold War era and it is currently revived as a guarantor for peace and security. How do we resist these narratives? Should therefore nuclear disarmament re-enter the agenda of social movements (antiracist, ecology, feminist, etc.)?
- What is the political importance of the TPNW in the current context? What are the next steps towards the TPNW state parties meeting that we should be aware of?
Tuesday, 17 May 2022
15:00 (CET)
via Zoom
Speaker:
Tom Unterrainer, chair of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and member of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation;
Moderation:
Katerina Anastasiou, facilitator of the chapters Migration and Global Strategy for transform! europe, and
Axel Ruppert, project manager at the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office on the topics of peace, security and disarmament as well as EU militarisation and the European arms industry.
The webinar is organised in cooperation with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office