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Ploughshares
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Building a future beyond nuclear fear. We aim to reduce and eventually eliminate #nuclearweapons & promote stability where they exist.
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Last week, Ploughshares President Dr. Emma Belcher shared her expertise on the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs & PBS's panel on Nuclear Ethics, with Ben Loeterman, Joel Rosenthal, & moderated by journalist Ann Curry.

Watch or listen to the full panel ➡️ https://loom.ly/rxwmsk0
In a new piece for @cipolicy.bsky.social, @samratner.bsky.social of grantee @winwithoutwar.bsky.social argues that addressing the broader risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East requires a vision for regional denuclearization.

Read more ⬇️ internationalpolicy.org/publications...
Rejecting Trump’s corrupt Saudi nuclear deal is only the start - CIP
A full denuclearization of the Middle East offers a robust, progressive alternative to Trump's nuclear deal with Saudi.
internationalpolicy.org
October 7, 2026 at 3:29 PM
In a new @thebulletin.org analysis, @laurensukin.bsky.social, Luis Rodriguez, and Stephen Herzog draw on a survey of 27,000+ people across 24 countries.

Their finding: Many people support both nuclear deterrence and disarmament ⬇️
thebulletin.org/2026/10/the-...
The nuclear paradox: Why the world wants both deterrence and disarmament
A landmark 24-country study reveals that a majority of people worldwide embraces both nuclear deterrence and disarmament, exposing a pragmatic—rather than confused—flexibility that gives policymakers ...
thebulletin.org
October 6, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Nuclear Futures Fellow Ali Alkis developed "nuclear piracy" to address the growing risk of nuclear facility weaponization.

For our Story Center, Ali reflects on his path to the Nuclear Futures Fellowship, and what's next for his research on nuclear piracy. ⬇️
https://loom.ly/VlTNeO8
What is nuclear piracy? - Ploughshares
Nuclear Futures Fellow Ali Alkis shares his journey to the Fellowship and about his capstone research on nuclear piracy.
ploughshares.org
October 5, 2026 at 5:02 PM
What should US nuclear policy look like in an era of growing strategic competition?

A new report from supported by Ploughshares examines the future of nuclear deterrence and arms control, bringing experts with different perspectives into conversation.

Read the report: https://loom.ly/TU5_w4k
U.S. Future options for nuclear deterrence and arms control: Report on the Pilot Workshop and Introduction to the Project
A new report from the Geneva Graduate Institute and MIT Security Studies Program.
repository.graduateinstitute.ch
October 2, 2026 at 1:38 PM
In a New Yorker piece, Ali Vaez of International Crisis Group Idescribes Iran’s latest proposal as a “heads I win, tails you lose” proposition.

Daryl Kimball of Arms Control Association calls it a “can’t-ignore option” for finding an off-ramp from the war.
https://loom.ly/qUHumMo
Iran’s Bitterness and Bewilderment Over How to Make Peace with Trump
After a heated week at the U.N. General Assembly, a new ceasefire proposal between the U.S. and Iran came and apparently went.
www.newyorker.com
September 30, 2026 at 1:04 PM
7 months into the US war with Iran, where does the conflict stand—and what comes next?

@cipolicy.bsky.social's Senior Fellow Negar Mortazavi joined NPR/WAMU’s 1A to discuss the war, its costs, and the prospects for diplomacy.

Listen: https://loom.ly/i5s0Rws
Seven months of the Iran war
Iran’s foreign minister told Meet the Press that Iran is prepared for war to resume.
the1a.org
September 29, 2026 at 3:22 PM
How do we show our neighbors that the footprints of nuclear weapons track across our own backyards?

Nuclear Futures Fellow Emma Sandifer created Neighbors Against Nukes, a map to learn how nuclear weapons have impacted our communities.

Learn more & explore the map: https://loom.ly/8WN3o9M
Introducing: Neighbors Against Nukes Map - Ploughshares
During my time as a Nuclear Futures Fellow, I spent one year mapping the footprint of nuclear weapons in our neighborhoods.
ploughshares.org
September 24, 2026 at 5:11 PM
🚨 New from @inkstickmedia.com: experts and Ploughshares grantees weigh in on China’s buildup, what remains uncertain, and the risks of an escalating US-China arms race.

Read more: https://loom.ly/gzDkFXU
China is Rapidly Expanding its Nuclear Arsenal. How Should the US React?
When Xi Jinping visits the White House on Sept. 24, it’s uncertain whether he and Trump will discuss nuclear weapons — but they should.
inkstickmedia.com
September 23, 2026 at 8:57 PM
A new US-Saudi nuclear agreement could open the door to uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia.

Kelsey Davenport of @armscontrolnow.bsky.social explains why the deal’s details raise nonproliferation concerns as Congress reviews the agreement.
https://loom.ly/YJiOhNM
Democrats propose bill to strike down controversial Saudi nuclear deal
Congress has 90 days to review the agreement on nuclear energy projects.
abcnews.com
September 22, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Today, we remember those who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks. We also remember the costs of the wars that followed & the importance of building a safer world.

On Sept 15, join @fcnl.bsky.social for a conversation on 9/11 & the movement for peace
action.fcnl.org/page/101520/...
Witness Wednesday
Take a moment to reflect in keeping with the Quaker practice of silent worship. Join us virtually on Zoom or by phone for a period of shared reflection as we seek grounding in community.
action.fcnl.org
September 11, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Sina Toossi, a past Nuclear Futures Fellow, broke down why Trump's "economic D-day" against Iran risks exactly what we should fear most: pushing a nuclear-armed nation toward escalation. When diplomacy collapses, miscalculation follows.

Read his full analysis: https://loom.ly/RbD3xKg
Trump’s ‘economic D-day’ against Iran risks driving the stakes even higher | Sina Toossi
As with its approach to Hormuz, the US has mistaken applying pressure for an actual strategy. But Tehran has chips of its own to play, says Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy
www.theguardian.com
September 7, 2026 at 12:25 PM
New from grantee @merip.bsky.social: Middle East Report 319, "Art at Work."

Art made in wartime. Iranian cultural institutions under bombardment. Protest music, Gulf art markets, theater under occupation, and more. Read here ⬇️
https://loom.ly/Fh1mPkk
MER 319: Art at Work–People, Power and Cultural Production
Dear Friends and Comrades, We’re thrilled to share Issue 319 of Middle East Report, “Art at Work–People, Power and Cultural Production.” Across the region today, art is being made, redefined and reimagined under extreme conditions of war, political upheaval and the interplay of state and market capital. Through
www.merip.org
September 1, 2026 at 1:04 PM
25 years after 9/11, the case in the military commissions system has not moved past the pre-trial phase.

Grantee @merip.bsky.social explores why at an event on Sept 13 at Busboys & Poets DC. RSVP: https://loom.ly/h0vSsX4
25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why
September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V
www.merip.org
August 28, 2026 at 1:05 PM
"There's this existential threat that the Iranians have been faced with. So they're willing to bear much greater economic costs to kind of secure their survival."

Former Nuclear Futures Fellow Sina Toossi (@sinatoossi.bsky.social) on NPR, on the limits of economic pressure without diplomacy.
Top Iran official says U.S. focus on economic warfare shows it has failed militarily
The Iranian regime has dismissed President Trump's threats to crush Iran economically, saying that years of U.S. sanctions have failed.
www.npr.org
August 27, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Downwinders, uranium workers & veterans have spent decades asking to be counted.

The recently-announced H.R. 10115 would expand RECA, raise compensation, and extend the claims deadline to 2042.

Read more on our Story Center: https://loom.ly/0PAIxb4
A Major New RECA Expansion Bill Is Here - Ploughshares
On August 17th, Guam Delegate James Moylan (R-GU) introduced H.R. 10115,, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026.
ploughshares.org
August 26, 2026 at 1:05 PM
@armscontrolnow.bsky.social will host a briefing on September 11 at 9:30am ET at the National Press Club featuring a panel of experts to "explain the AI-nuclear weapons nexus and and examine options to mitigate the risks."

Register here: https://loom.ly/Py9P53M
Mitigating the Risks of AI in Nuclear Operations
Friday, September 11, 2026 @ 9:30 a.m.
secure.everyaction.com
August 21, 2026 at 1:19 PM
"The Q&A session ... became a direct conversation between community members and two elected officials who pledged to listen and act."

🎥 Coverage of a recent screening of First We Bombed New Mexico, a documentary about the legacy of the Trinity Test.
https://loom.ly/MF8_n4g
A Community Reckons with History: 'First We Bombed New Mexico' Brings Nuclear Justice to Alamogordo | 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News
Film Screening at Flickinger Center Features Political Leaders' Support for Downwinders' Cause
2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news
August 20, 2026 at 1:06 PM
@ucs.org's Laura Grego warns missile defense systems risk becoming an expensive technical fantasy and creating a dangerous sense of security.

“What we need to do is the very hard work of diplomacy and arms control.”

Read more: https://loom.ly/n1ozQeA
Is Trump's Golden Dome Missile Defense System a Pipe Dream?
US President Donald Trump's highly touted 'Golden Dome' will cost taxpayers untold sums of money. Will it even work?
inkstickmedia.com
August 19, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Some dangers announce themselves. Others are woven quietly into the background of our lives—and nuclear risk is one of them.

In this new video, we show how Ploughshares invests in leaders who don't see nuclear threat as inevitable, but solvable.
https://loom.ly/IXeHcmU
Nuclear threat is still with us—so is our ability to solve it
Ploughshares
www.youtube.com
August 19, 2026 at 1:05 PM
In @nytimes.com, @crisisgroup.org's @alivaez.bsky.social spoke on the prospects for diplomacy in the US–Iran conflict.

“They both think that in a matter of days or weeks, the other side will be more desperate for a deal, so they’ll be able to get more out of it.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/w...
As Iran War Turns Into Economic Battle, a New U.S. Strategy Recalls Old Ones
www.nytimes.com
August 18, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Released today, The Brink of War tackles a difficult plot mechanic in nuclear storytelling: diplomacy.

What does the film get right—and wrong—about this era of diplomacy on the big screen? Charles Crosby discusses on our Story Center ⬇️ https://loom.ly/835Ka5I
The Brink of War: How a New Film Depicts Diplomacy on the Big Screen - Ploughshares
There is something genuinely refreshing about a new Hollywood film that takes nuclear diplomacy seriously.
ploughshares.org
August 14, 2026 at 5:03 PM
"We need to reinvest in nonproliferation and arms control, including bringing down our insanely high defense budget...that's going to be the existential choice in the next 5 to 10 years."

📽️ Ben Rhodes, Ploughshares board member and co-host of Pod Save the World, at our Chain Reaction 2026 event
August 10, 2026 at 2:03 PM
It was only 3 days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the years since, those impacted have been able to transform grief into a lasting legacy through their stories and art.

Listen to "Nagasaki: On the Other Side of Grief" ⬇️ https://loom.ly/q1QyAA8

Nagasaki: On the Other Side of Grief - Ploughshares
It was only three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the years since, those impacted have been able to transform grief into a lasting legacy through their stories and art. Guests include Dr. Masao Tomonaga (Nagasaki Hibakusha and former Director of the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki…
ploughshares.org
August 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM
As Northeast Asia's nuclear landscape grows complex, diplomacy can't afford to lag behind.

Former Nuclear Futures Fellow Hao Nan writes that the region's deterrence architecture is maturing faster than diplomatic guardrails—a trend with implications for strategic stability.
https://loom.ly/ezevUGo
Northeast Asia's nuclear deterrence is maturing faster than its diplomacy
The region needs more diplomatic channels
asia.nikkei.com
August 8, 2026 at 7:15 PM