Mar 19, 2018
Our world and everything we care about is threatened every moment of every day by nuclear weapons, either by intent, accident, miss-calculation or cyber-attack.
These weapons--though now illegal following the July 2017 U.N. "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons," adopted by 122 nations--continue to be modernized at an expected cost of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years. The non-nuclear nations have declared enough and that they will no longer be bullied and held hostage by the nine nuclear nations. Now is the time to stop the insanity and divest of nuclear weapons just as apartheid was ultimately stopped by divestment in South Africa. If we want to abolish nuclear weapons, we must stop investing in them.
The just released "Don't Bank On The Bomb" report draws attention to the "Hall Of Shame" companies that are either financing or producing nuclear weapons and their components.
There are 20 principal companies involved in the manufacture, development, production, and modernization of these weapons and 329 significant investors the world over who are financing this work investing over $525 Billion in the last three years alone! The top three US investors include Blackrock, Capital Group and Vanguard and have a combined investment of more than $110 billion. It is both astonishing and an obligation for each of us to review our financial institutions investments and retirement funds to identify whether or not we are inadvertently investing in these companies.
Just as in the recent outcry regarding the financing of the NRA, which not coincidentally has been funded by many of the same companies, has led to divestment and disassociation with and by these companies, so to it must be for the companies that fund, develop and manufacture nuclear weapons. Each of us has a responsibility to stigmatize these companies by speaking up, contacting these institutions and telling them that it is NOT OK for them to be making a profit from the production of nuclear weapons which threaten our very existence, and to demand that they cease and desist in the words of Medea Benjamin and, "stop making a killing by killing".
Quoting from the new report, "Financial institutions and weapons producers have a choice, either to contribute to the end of nuclear weapons, or to provide the financing that will allow nuclear weapons to end us."
With the recently released Trump Nuclear Doctrine which significantly seeks to expand nuclear weapons capacities in the US over the coming years, as well as lowering the threshold for use, all of the other nuclear nations are following suit and modernizing their arsenals. The world is faced with the greatest threat of nuclear war since World War ll.
In a functioning democracy, we the people will decide--either by action or inaction. We can sit back and assume that "we cannot make a difference" or leave it to "them," or we can make our voices heard realizing that "they" is us and demand an end to nuclear weapons. We can take a step by endorsing the "Back from the Brink" resolution rapidly spreading across this nation to prevent nuclear war, while simultaneously divesting from nuclear weapons.
Ultimately, nuclear weapons will be abolished. They will either be abolished through the means outlined in the "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" and by divesting from them or, through their use in nuclear war, the aftermath of which may end all of life on this planet.
The choice is ours. Our children and the future of the planet demand abolition now.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Robert Dodge
Robert Dodge, a frequent Common Dreams contributor, writes as a family physician practicing in Ventura, California. He is the Co-Chair of the Security Committee of National Physicians for Social Responsibility, serves as the President of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles, and is a steering committee member of Back from the Brink.
Our world and everything we care about is threatened every moment of every day by nuclear weapons, either by intent, accident, miss-calculation or cyber-attack.
These weapons--though now illegal following the July 2017 U.N. "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons," adopted by 122 nations--continue to be modernized at an expected cost of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years. The non-nuclear nations have declared enough and that they will no longer be bullied and held hostage by the nine nuclear nations. Now is the time to stop the insanity and divest of nuclear weapons just as apartheid was ultimately stopped by divestment in South Africa. If we want to abolish nuclear weapons, we must stop investing in them.
The just released "Don't Bank On The Bomb" report draws attention to the "Hall Of Shame" companies that are either financing or producing nuclear weapons and their components.
There are 20 principal companies involved in the manufacture, development, production, and modernization of these weapons and 329 significant investors the world over who are financing this work investing over $525 Billion in the last three years alone! The top three US investors include Blackrock, Capital Group and Vanguard and have a combined investment of more than $110 billion. It is both astonishing and an obligation for each of us to review our financial institutions investments and retirement funds to identify whether or not we are inadvertently investing in these companies.
Just as in the recent outcry regarding the financing of the NRA, which not coincidentally has been funded by many of the same companies, has led to divestment and disassociation with and by these companies, so to it must be for the companies that fund, develop and manufacture nuclear weapons. Each of us has a responsibility to stigmatize these companies by speaking up, contacting these institutions and telling them that it is NOT OK for them to be making a profit from the production of nuclear weapons which threaten our very existence, and to demand that they cease and desist in the words of Medea Benjamin and, "stop making a killing by killing".
Quoting from the new report, "Financial institutions and weapons producers have a choice, either to contribute to the end of nuclear weapons, or to provide the financing that will allow nuclear weapons to end us."
With the recently released Trump Nuclear Doctrine which significantly seeks to expand nuclear weapons capacities in the US over the coming years, as well as lowering the threshold for use, all of the other nuclear nations are following suit and modernizing their arsenals. The world is faced with the greatest threat of nuclear war since World War ll.
In a functioning democracy, we the people will decide--either by action or inaction. We can sit back and assume that "we cannot make a difference" or leave it to "them," or we can make our voices heard realizing that "they" is us and demand an end to nuclear weapons. We can take a step by endorsing the "Back from the Brink" resolution rapidly spreading across this nation to prevent nuclear war, while simultaneously divesting from nuclear weapons.
Ultimately, nuclear weapons will be abolished. They will either be abolished through the means outlined in the "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" and by divesting from them or, through their use in nuclear war, the aftermath of which may end all of life on this planet.
The choice is ours. Our children and the future of the planet demand abolition now.
Robert Dodge
Robert Dodge, a frequent Common Dreams contributor, writes as a family physician practicing in Ventura, California. He is the Co-Chair of the Security Committee of National Physicians for Social Responsibility, serves as the President of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles, and is a steering committee member of Back from the Brink.
Our world and everything we care about is threatened every moment of every day by nuclear weapons, either by intent, accident, miss-calculation or cyber-attack.
These weapons--though now illegal following the July 2017 U.N. "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons," adopted by 122 nations--continue to be modernized at an expected cost of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years. The non-nuclear nations have declared enough and that they will no longer be bullied and held hostage by the nine nuclear nations. Now is the time to stop the insanity and divest of nuclear weapons just as apartheid was ultimately stopped by divestment in South Africa. If we want to abolish nuclear weapons, we must stop investing in them.
The just released "Don't Bank On The Bomb" report draws attention to the "Hall Of Shame" companies that are either financing or producing nuclear weapons and their components.
There are 20 principal companies involved in the manufacture, development, production, and modernization of these weapons and 329 significant investors the world over who are financing this work investing over $525 Billion in the last three years alone! The top three US investors include Blackrock, Capital Group and Vanguard and have a combined investment of more than $110 billion. It is both astonishing and an obligation for each of us to review our financial institutions investments and retirement funds to identify whether or not we are inadvertently investing in these companies.
Just as in the recent outcry regarding the financing of the NRA, which not coincidentally has been funded by many of the same companies, has led to divestment and disassociation with and by these companies, so to it must be for the companies that fund, develop and manufacture nuclear weapons. Each of us has a responsibility to stigmatize these companies by speaking up, contacting these institutions and telling them that it is NOT OK for them to be making a profit from the production of nuclear weapons which threaten our very existence, and to demand that they cease and desist in the words of Medea Benjamin and, "stop making a killing by killing".
Quoting from the new report, "Financial institutions and weapons producers have a choice, either to contribute to the end of nuclear weapons, or to provide the financing that will allow nuclear weapons to end us."
With the recently released Trump Nuclear Doctrine which significantly seeks to expand nuclear weapons capacities in the US over the coming years, as well as lowering the threshold for use, all of the other nuclear nations are following suit and modernizing their arsenals. The world is faced with the greatest threat of nuclear war since World War ll.
In a functioning democracy, we the people will decide--either by action or inaction. We can sit back and assume that "we cannot make a difference" or leave it to "them," or we can make our voices heard realizing that "they" is us and demand an end to nuclear weapons. We can take a step by endorsing the "Back from the Brink" resolution rapidly spreading across this nation to prevent nuclear war, while simultaneously divesting from nuclear weapons.
Ultimately, nuclear weapons will be abolished. They will either be abolished through the means outlined in the "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" and by divesting from them or, through their use in nuclear war, the aftermath of which may end all of life on this planet.
The choice is ours. Our children and the future of the planet demand abolition now.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.