On May 6, Council for a Livable World Executive Director former Congressman John Tierney and Board Member Prof. Aron Bernstein will participate in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conference, “Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War.” The conference is intended to advocate and organize toward reducing the danger of nuclear war. The conference will address the political and economic realities, and attempt to stimulate and inform the kinds of social movement needed to change national policy.
John Tierney will chair a session on Current Prospects for Progress and Prof. Aron Bernstein will discuss nuclear modernization v.s national security in the session on Destabilizing Factors.
To attend the event, you will have to register here.
Conference venue:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Room 34-101
Cambridge, MA
Conference Program:
8:45 AM – Registration and coffee9:15 AM – Welcome from City of Cambridge: Mayor Denise Simmons
9:30 AM – Program for the Day: Prof. Jonathan King (MIT, Peace Action)
9:45 AM – Session I. The Pressing Need for Nuclear Disarmament
– Costs and Profits from Nuclear Weapons Manufacture: William Hartung (Center for International Policy).
– Reasons to Reject the Trillion Dollar Nuclear Weapons Escalation: Joseph Cirincione (Ploughshares Fund).
– Nuclear Weapons Undermine Democracy: Prof. Elaine Scarry (Harvard University)
10:45 AM – Session II. Destabilizing Factors
Chair: Prof. Frank Von Hippel (Princeton University)
– Dangers of Hair Trigger Alert: Lisbeth Gronlund (Union of Concerned Scientists).
– Nuclear Modernization vs. National Security: Prof. Aron Bernstein (MIT, Council for a Livable World).
– Accidents and Unexpected Events: Prof. Max Tegmark (MIT, Future of Life Institute).
– International Tensions and Risks of further Nuclear Proliferation: TBA.
12:00 PM – Lunch Workshops (listed below)
2:00 PM – Session III. Economic and Social Consequences of Excessive Weapons Spending
Chair: Prof. Melissa Nobles (MIT):
– Build Housing Not Bombs: Rev. Paul Robeson Ford (Union Baptist Church).
– Education as a National Priority: Barbara Madeloni (Mass Teachers Association).
– Invest in Minds Not Missiles: Prof. Jonathan King (MIT, Mass Peace Action).
– Build Subways Not Submarines: Fred Salvucci (former Secretary of Transportation).
3:00 PM – Session IV. Current Prospects for Progress
Chair: John Tierney (former US Representative, Council for a Livable World)
– House Steps Toward Nuclear Disarmament: U. S. Representative Barbara Lee.
– Maintaining the Iran Nuclear Agreement: Ernie Moniz (MIT, former Secretary of Energy).
4:15 PM – Session V. Organizing to Reduce the Dangers
Chair: Jim Anderson (President, Peace Action New York State):
– Divesting from Nuclear Weapons Investments: Susi Snyder (Don’t Bank on the Bomb).
– Taxpayers Information and Transparency Acts: State Reps Denise Provost/Mike Connolly.
– Mobilizing the Scientific Community: Prof. Max Tegmark (MIT, Future of Life Institute).
– A National Nuclear Disarmament Organizing Network 2017 -2018: Program Committee.
5:00 PM – Adjourn
Conference Workshops (12:00 2:00 pm):
a) Campus Organizing – Chair: Kate Alexander (Peace Action, NY State); Caitlin Forbes (Mass. Peace Action); Remy Pontes (Brandeis Peace Action); Haleigh Conway-Cunningham (Peace Action Chapter at Tufts), Lucas Perry (Dont Bank on the Bomb, Future of Life Institute); MIT Students (Nuclear Weapons Matter).
b) Bringing nuclear weapons into physics and history course curricula – Chair: Frank Davis (past President of TERC); Gary Goldstein (Tufts University); Prof. Aron Bernstein (MIT); Prof. Vincent Intondi (Montgomery College); Ray Matsumiya (Oleander/Hiroshima Peace Initiative).
c) Dangerous Conflicts – Chair, Erica Fein (WAND); Ira Helfand (Physicians for Social Responsibility; Charles Ferguson (Federation of American Scientists);
d) Municipal and State Initiatives – Chair Cole Harrison (Mass. Peace Action): Denise Provost (Mass State Legislature); Councilor Dennis Carlone (Cambridge City Council); Rev. Bob Moore (Coalition for Peace Action, NJ); Jared Hicks (Our Revolution Massachusetts); Prof. Ceasar McDowell (MIT Urban Studies).
e) Peace with Justice: Peoples Budget and Related Campaigns to Shift Federal budget Priorities Chair, Andrea Miller (People Demanding Action); Mike Connolly (Mass State Legislature); Paul Shannon (AFSC); Madelyn Hoffman (NJPA); Richard Krushnic (Mass Peoples Budget Campaign); Arne Alpert (New Hampshire AFSC).
f) Reducing Nuclear Weapons through Treaties and Negotiation Chair, Nazli Choucri (MIT), Paul Kawika Martin (national Peace Action), Shelagh Foreman (Mass. Peace Action); Michel DeGraff (MIT Haiti Project).
g) Strengthening the Connection between Averting Climate Change and Averting Nuclear War Chair, Frank Von Hippel (Princeton University); Ed Aguilar (Coalition for Peace Action, Philadelphia); Geoffrey Supran (Fossil Free MIT).
h) Working with Communities of Faith – Chair, Thea Keith-Lucas (MIT Radius); Rev. Herb Taylor (Harvard Epworth Methodist Church); Pat Ferrone (Pax Christi Massachusetts); Rev. Paul Robeson Ford (Union Baptist Church).
Program Committee: Prof. Aron Bernstein (MIT, Council for a Livable World), Joseph Gerson (American Friends Service Committee), Subrata Ghoshroy (MIT), Prof. Gary Goldstein (Tufts University), Cole Harrison (Mass. Peace Action), Jonathan King (MIT and Mass. Peace Action), Guntram Mueller (Mass. Peace Action), State Rep. Denise Provost, John Ratliff (Mass. Peace Action, Mass Senior Action), Prof. Elaine Scarry (Harvard University), Prof. Max Tegmark (MIT, Future of Life Institute), Patricia Weinmann (MIT Radius).
Sponsored by MIT Radius (the former Technology and Culture Forum), Massachusetts Peace Action, and the American Friends Service Committee.
