‘As President Obama prepares to use his State of the Union address to call for drastic cuts to nuclear arsenals around the world, the ‘disastrous logic of nuclear deterrence has reared its ugly head in the form of North Korea’s nuclear test’, says CND’s Kate Hudson.
‘Obama’s commitment to global abolition, which we expect him to repeat later today, is very welcome. But it is at odds with the failure of nuclear weapons states, including the US, to live up to their responsibilities as signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Rather than working “to accomplish the total elimination” of their nuclear weapons, most of these states – including Britain – are pouring billions into modernising their arsenals. Is it any surprise that this makes other states feel unsafe?’
‘As long as nuclear-armed states conclude that they are better off with these monstrous weapons, others will come to the same conclusion. And so while it is right to condemn North Korea’s third nuclear test, this cannot be seen in isolation. Let us condemn North Korea seeking nuclear weapons while we condemn nuclear-armed states for refusing to fulfil their legal and moral obligations to eliminate their arsenals.’