Peace Coalition hears case for No First Use of nuclear weapons

Local peace and social justice advocate David Borris discussed the urgent need for the U.S. to sign on to No First Use of nuclear weapons at the West Suburban Peace Coalition’s Educational Forum Tuesday.

Borris, who serves as Board Chair for CAPA, Chicago Area Peace Action, has made No First Use the focus of anti-nuclear efforts to control, reduce, eliminate the greatest threat to human survival.

No First Use is simply the pledge of nuclear powers to never initiate nuclear weapons in any foreign dispute. Only two of 9 nuclear powers, China and India, have taken the pledge. The U.S., which kicked off nuclear attack 76 years ago, leveling 2 Japanese cities, refuses to give up that advantage.

On January 11, 2017, then VP Joe Biden advocated the U.S. adopt No First Use with these hopeful words:

“Given our nonnuclear capabilities and the nature of today’s threats, it’s hard to envision a plausible scenario in which the first use of nuclear weapons by the United States would be necessary or make sense. The next administration will put forward its own policies. But President Obama and I are confident we can deter and defend ourselves and our allies against nonnuclear threats through other means.”

Alas, given the chance to implement No First Use as president, Biden has been ominously silent in his first 9 months.

Borris offered a substantive reason for U.S. approval besides reassuring a troubled world of no first use by Uncle Sam. America’s 400 land based ICBM silos out west, which effectively can only be used for offensive nuclear war, would be rendered irrelevant should we take the pledge. That would begin the discussion of reducing, rather than increasing our nuclear arsenal. It would also save the quarter trillion earmarked to replace the ancient ICBM’s over the next decade.

Borris closed with a plea to keep hope alive that Biden will remember his January 11, 2017 remarks and finally take the pledge. Say it’s so, Joe.