Bluesky

The risk of nuclear war is greater now than in decades—and rising. Russia is upgrading its missile systems and has threatened to use nuclear weapons. The United States is engaged in a massive program to rebuild and upgrade its entire nuclear arsenal, costing taxpayers an estimated trillion dollars over the next decade. The US weapons-making spree will include new nuclear bombs and upgraded delivery systems that enhance the capacity to wage nuclear war.

China is expanding its nuclear weapons systems, India and Pakistan are locked in a deadly arms race, and North Korea is continuing its nuclear program. Israel has bombed Iran to block its uranium enrichment program but remains silent about its estimated arsenal of 80 nuclear weapons.

The arms limitation treaties that previously guarded against unconstrained nuclear competition between the US and Russia have been discarded. The remaining agreement, New START, expires in February with no negotiations underway for renewal, as Washington and Moscow dither and delay talks that could reduce nuclear risks. Absent new constraints, the two sides could upload new warheads and double the number of deployed nuclear weapons in the coming years.

Despite the growing danger, public awareness remains low. Media coverage of nuclear risks has been limited, with the notable exception of William Hennigan’s “At the Brink” series for The New York Times. Public attention rose slightly last year with release of the film Oppenheimer and the publication of Annie Jacobsen’s best-selling book Nuclear War: A Scenario, but the moment passed.

The mounting nuclear peril demands action. Leaders of more than two dozen arms reduction groups and individuals have joined together to issue a global appeal for the US and other countries to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race. The task is daunting, but the urgency of the threat leaves us no choice but to speak out. Taking our cue from the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign and disarmament movements of 40 years ago and the June 1982 rally of 1 million people in Central Park to freeze and reverse the arms race, the groups are calling for an end to the building of new nuclear bombs and weapons systems on all sides, including the US, Russia, and China.

To build opposition to the growing nuclear danger today will require tapping into the power and energy of the anti-Trump resistance. The massive Hands Off and No Kings mobilizations were historic in scale and have the potential to transform the political landscape, but they focused primarily on domestic issues. Military spending and nuclear weapons issues were mentioned at some events but not with sufficient attention or urgency.

A coalitional approach is needed that links opposition to war and the nuclear arms race with the anti-Trump mobilizations for social justice and the defense of democracy. This will require dialogue and mutual support among a range of movements. The purpose is to build networks of mutual trust in which the separate groups can cooperate, especially when huge increases in nuclear spending come at the expense of urgently needed social programs. A case in point is the recently announced 53 percent increase in the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for the nuclear warhead complex, while the new Republican mega budget bill slashes funding for Medicaid.

The key to effective collaboration among movements is clear messages and common demands that can be shared with the media and among political allies. An example of this is the slogan developed recently by Win Without War, MoveOn, and other groups at the time of strikes against Iran and the budget bill debate in Congress, “Healthcare not Warfare.”

The groups endorsing the global appeal are unifying around the message “more nuclear weapons will not make the world safer.” The appeal embodies this message in an easily understandable proposition that hopefully can attract broad popular support. It begins:

We call on the leaders of the United States and other nuclear-armed states to immediately implement a mutual and verifiable halt to the deployment and development of more nuclear bombs and nuclear weapons systems. Such a halt would reduce the skyrocketing costs of nuclear weapons and help to redirect resources to meet human needs, including programs to mitigate the health and environmental harm caused by eight decades of nuclear weapons testing and production. We affirm the Reagan-Gorbachev maxim, reiterated by the five original nuclear-armed states: “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”

The new initiative is being launched this summer in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It will reach beyond peace and arms reduction constituencies to engage with religious communities and social justice groups. We are offering the appeal as a tool for building resilient, mutually supportive movements to reduce nuclear weapons risks while defending democracy and social justice at home.