Civil society organisations can and do have a significant role to play in building sustainable security. The story of Pugwash, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation that deals with issues at the intersection of science and policy, highlights the importance of dialogue across divides in building sustainable security. As part of our series ‘Stories of People- … Continue reading Dialogue across Divides: Pugwash’s contribution to sustainable security
Human Security Must Remain on the NATO Agenda
Since 2022 NATO has endorsed a Human Security approach in relation to its core tasks. Yet its 2025 Summit fell silent on this, among many other issues. Alexander Gilder makes the case for why Human Security must stay on NATO’s agenda in order to bolster the Atlantic alliance’s legitimacy and effectiveness. With rising geopolitical tensions … Continue reading Human Security Must Remain on the NATO Agenda
Righting Wrongs, Enabling Disarmament: The role of disability rights in the search for sustainable peace
Humanitarian disarmament initiatives made significant progress in the post-Cold War era but until now their linkage to disability rights has been weak. Sean Howard and Tammy Bernasky report on a new Disability Rights and Disarmament Initiative that demands full and effective participation of people with disabilities at the United Nations and beyond.
Europe needs a new Nuclear Forces Reduction Treaty rather than a Eurobomb
With huge uncertainties in the relationship between the United States, Russia and NATO, Europe is awash with proposals to share, ‘extend’ or procure nuclear weapons. To avoid further proliferation and the inevitable catastrophic failure of ‘deterrence’, Ian Davis and Paul Ingram argue for an urgent revival of nuclear disarmament between Europe and Russia.
Tackling global security risks in the second Trump era
The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency undermines efforts to tackle urgent global security risks such as nuclear weapons and climate change. Dr Stuart Parkinson gives an overview of the problems and assesses how best to respond.
Making the case for de-escalation in the UK’s Strategic Defence Review
As a new UK Strategic Defence Review gets underway, a series of complex interconnected crises from the Middle East to the Horn of Africa must prompt a much greater emphasis on de-escalation. Charlie Linney and Lewis Brooks propose three areas where UK Defence can contribute to de-escalation and conflict prevention.
Arms Control and Confidence-building after the Ukraine War
Arms control regimes have been among the many casualties of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the wider context of collapsing trust between Moscow and the West. Jordan Smith argues that initiatives at multiple levels to restrain, record and verify the development and deployment of weapons by all sides of the conflict are essential to rebuilding confidence and a crucial part of any eventual peace settlement.
NPT sees Growing Response to Nuclear Weapons’ Harmful Legacy
Over the past 12 years efforts have been growing to centre the catastrophic humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, as well as their disproportionate impact on indigenous and colonised peoples, in global nuclear policy. Last month’s NPT Review Conference saw unprecedented attention given to one aspect of this – the ongoing harms from past use and testing – as the majority world sought to hold the nuclear armed states to account.
From Aleppo to Mariupol: Stopping use of explosive weapons in populated areas
Russian use of aerial, artillery and missile barrages against Ukrainian cities recalls the criminal devastation of Aleppo and other Syrian cities. Ian Davis assesses the possibilities and urgent moral imperative to protect civilians by banning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).
Killer Robots: Moving beyond the UN process
Autonomous weapons systems pose a tremendous physical and ethical threat to humanity. While the majority of countries want them prohibited, a few powerful states are blocking progress. Richard Moyes and Uldduz Sohrabi argue that the time is right for a process that moves beyond the deadlocked UN process.