World News
Dependence on nuclear deterrence prevents disarmament, UN nuncio says
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Nuclear deterrence -- the concept that possessing nuclear weapons will thwart an enemy from attacking -- is preventing the much-needed goal of disarmament from being achieved, said the papal nuncio to the United Nations. Archbishop Celestino Migliore also told an audience hosted by the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University March 16 that the conditions that prevailed during the Cold War and that provided the basis for the church's "limited toleration of nuclear deterrence" no longer exist. The nuncio's comments came during a panel discussion on nuclear deterrence, disarmament and human security that also featured Maryann Cusimano Love, associate professor of international relations at The Catholic University of America, and Douglas B. Shaw, an expert in nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament at George Washington University. Not hiding their views that nuclear disarmament is necessary in a world where the threat of a nuclear attack by rogue nongovernmental players is rising, the panelists outlined steps that the world's powers -- and its citizens -- can take to create a more peaceful and secure planet. Panelists cautioned against citizen apathy, urged the formation of worldwide networks to push for nuclear disarmament and counseled that religion can play an important role in achieving the eventual goal of dismantling all nuclear weapons. They called for new international treaties that specify the depth of weapons cuts, especially between the United States and Russia, the world's foremost nuclear powers.
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