ABOUT

Back from the Brink: Bringing Communities Together to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (BftB) is a U.S.-based grassroots coalition of individuals, organizations and elected officials working together on a multi-year campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons and secure a set of common sense U.S. nuclear weapons policies that will make the world safer, healthier, and more just. Back from the Brink was conceived and initiated by leaders from the Union of Concerned Scientists and Physicians for Social Responsibility in the fall of 2017.

The threat of nuclear war is real and growing, yet many people are unaware of the danger, or the harmful here-and-now impacts of developing and maintaining our nuclear arsenal. Others may be concerned but don’t feel as if they have any say on the issue or a meaningful way to get involved and make a difference. As a result, policymakers rarely hear concerns about nuclear weapons from their constituents and thus feel little pressure to act.

Back from the Brink aims to grow this public pressure to act by giving everyone a voice on the issue and providing a way to be part of a politically powerful and diverse constituency for nuclear disarmament that demands real change.

Our five policy solutions include steps the U.S. can take to immediately reduce the threat of intentional or accidental nuclear war while pursuing a verifiable, timebound agreement among nuclear armed states to eliminate all nuclear arsenals. (The U.S. – like Britain, China, France and Russia – is already obligated under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to take concrete steps toward eliminating their nuclear arsenals.)

Setting upon this path would pave the way for the U.S. to embrace the goals of the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which is modeled on existing treaties that outlaw other types of weapons considered inhumane, such as biological and chemical weapons, land mines, and cluster munitions. The TPNW, which has been signed by 93 nations and ratified by 69 nations, makes it illegal under international law to “develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess, or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”

Back from the Brink’s power and potential lies in its focus on everyday people and communities, making nuclear weapons a local issue– and an organizing approach that enables advocates to educate and engage other individuals, organizations, and municipalities in their region. Organizers are able to use local endorsements and municipal resolutions to demonstrate to members of Congress that their constituents want them to take action and show leadership on this issue. City by city, state by state, we are disrupting complacency with agency – giving voice and ways for anyone to get involved and take action.

We are asking everyone to join us – individuals and organizations, civic leaders and municipalities, counties and states, the public and private sector. Endorse Back from the Brink or use our advocacy tools to organize a local campaign in your community. Together we can prevent nuclear war and build a safer, healthier, and more just world.