Marylia Kelley on Achieving Nuclear Disarmament in the Age of Obama

In April 2009, President Obama declared in Prague, "America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." But he also said that the goal of nuclear disarmament "will not be reached quickly - perhaps not in my lifetime," and, "as long as these weapons exist the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal..."

In April 2010, the central contradiction in Obama's Prague speech played out in his Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which on one hand walks back the Bush NPR (partly) on when and against whom the U.S. would use nuclear bombs, and on the other hand fully embraces the Bush plan to "modernize" the nuclear weapons complex and arsenal.

Further, Senate Republicans have threatened to hold ratification of the new START treaty hostage to increased funding for "replacement" H-bombs and new weapons plants to produce them. And Obama's budget request for nuclear weapons activities exceeds the Bush budget - and the average U.S. spending on nuclear weapons during the Cold War, adjusted for inflation.

Will enhancing nuclear weapons research and production lead to nuclear abolition? What can we do to move a genuine disarmament agenda forward in the Obama Administration?

On Thursday, June 24, PASMC will present Marylia Kelley, Executive Director at Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), who will address the growing paradox of achieving nuclear abolition in the age of Obama. Marylia is well respected as a nuclear weapons and policy analyst and as a passionate advocate for disarmament, and she has recently returned from the NPT conference at the UN. She will share insights into national and international nuclear issues and stimulate our thinking on strategies needed to win concrete victories over the coming months.

The talk will take place in Beck Hall of the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo. Admission is free and refreshments will be on hand. Beck Hall is wheelchair accessible.