Disarmament: is the world listening to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s calls for progress?

This lecture defines a balance sheet for disarmament. It reviews the status of disarmament today and the differing perceptions of progress made. The lecture also provides an assessment of not just where things stand today but of how disarmament got to where it is now and the direction it is likely to go next. The problem with disarmament, Ms. Kane suggests, is that it appears differently in the eyes of its beholders, making the measurement of progress a difficult task with optimists and pessimists holding opposing views of the global record. She thus examines the track record of nuclear, biological, chemical and conventional weapons through the eyes of both the optimist and the pessimist, and offers as a counterpoint the Secretary-General’s record of leadership in the field of disarmament, citing, among other things, his five-point nuclear disarmament proposal and his calls for reductions in military spending. Ms. Kane concludes that the advancement of disarmament calls for action on three levels: civil society pressure, diplomatic engagement by diverse coalitions of States and enlightened leadership from the States with the largest weapons stockpiles and military expenditure.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions