On October 3, the City of Madison, Wisconsin approved a Back from the Brink resolution with a commitment ton nuclear weapons free contracts and investments.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and 12 Alders co-sponsored the Resolution. See the Mayor’s blog at https://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/blog/2023-09-19/divesting-from-nuclear-weapons.
Madison is now the third largest city in the US to limit investments in and/or contracts with nuclear weapon producers. It is the 76th US municipality to call on the US to prevent nuclear war by working with other nuclear states to reach a verifiable agreement to eliminate nuclear weapons and by:
-Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first.
-Ending the president’s sole, unchecked authority to launch a nuclear attack.
-Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert.
-Cancelling the plan to replace the entire U.S. arsenal with enhanced weapons.
Since Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986, the number of nuclear weapons in the world has decreased from 60,000 to 13,000. But nuclear weapons have spread from five nations in 1965 to nine nations today. Climate change resulting in droughts is leading to conflicts over water access and mass migrations. The US and Russia are engaged in a new nuclear arms race and China is trying to catch up. Russia has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. North Korea has threatened a nuclear attack if the US places nuclear bombers or submarines in South Korea.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin, along with 16 other community organizations and faith groups has been urging the City to pass such a Resolution since the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in 2017. “What we do can make a difference”, says Dr. Ann Behrmann. “The nuclear freeze movement of the 1980’s led to a complete change in President Reagan’s thinking and to talks with President Gorbachev.”
The Madison Resolution limits investments in and contracts with the world’s major nuclear weapons producers, making Madison the first city in the Midwest to do so. Oakland CA, Berkeley CA and have been limiting investments and contracts since the 1990’s. In the last 7 years, other US cities have followed, including NYC, NY, Cambridge, MA, Corvallis, Oregon and Santa Barbara CA.
“Madison was one of the first American cities to declare itself a nuclear free zone in 1983. With this Resolution, Madison builds on its legacy and makes a financial commitment that matches its long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons”, says Dr. Paula Rogge.
