10 Years INESAP and (Not Yet) Wise!
Reiner Braun 
I like to remember the times in 1994 and 1995 when we sat at an old wooden table in the IANUS office in Darmstadt, planning the founding of INESAP, and its first meeting in Mülheim, and arguing about participation in the 1995 Review and Extension Conference to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York.
It was the beginning of something new, but in the context of a great tradition. The new part was the stronger engagement of scientists in work against 'the bomb' from a clear, some would say radical, point of view: all nuclear weapons must be abolished.
Many who agree with us today opposed the call for complete abolition of nuclear weapons back then. Those critics rejected nuclear weapons abolition as impractical, advocating instead reduction of risk and more stable "deterrence."
Since that time, INESAP members have taken important stands, grounded in sound technical analysis, against arms build-ups in a variety of settings, even when they were lone voices. INESAP also has played an important role in building an international movement against weapons in space.
Throughout, we have been conscious of the great tradition, from Einstein to Rotblat, of scientists standing against war and for peace, and against the Bomb that can destroy everything. Scientists – and apart from some very technical fields this has been particularly been true for female scientists – long have taken part in public debate about key issues, speaking out not only for peace but for democracy and human rights.
The peace movement would have been far less of a force over the years without the contributions of scientists, especially leading figures whose reputation and expertise lent credibility on technical matters. The public role taken by scientists in these controversies often attracted criticism, but also has received extensive international support, with scientists even winning the Nobel Peace Prize. These efforts helped to prevent the use of nuclear weapons in warfare after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and have kept the moral and political threshold for nuclear weapons use very high.
INESAP is rightly proud to be part of this tradition, but it also has made its own distinctive contribution. The scientists who became part of INESAP came down from the 'ivory tower' and became organizers as well as scientists. The Abolition 2000 network, which has brought together over 2000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide advocating the elimination of nuclear arsenals, is unthinkable without the active participation of INESAP.
In 1995 we were fortunate to receive significant support from several foundations for our peace work. This support has made our work and the continued development of INESAP possible. Today, it is safe to say that INESAP is 'established' in the best sense: not at all complacent, and not financially comfortable, but an undeniably credible organization of scientists working for the elimination of nuclear weapons. INESAP's positions are clear and well elaborated and backed by in-depth technical analysis, and its work is respected even by those who do not always agree.
The Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, a particularly influential INESAP initiative, has provided guidelines for me in my work for the elimination of nuclear weapons, keeping me from drifting off into the vacuum of opportunistic international lobbying. The Convention has over the years gained broad international support, not only from peace activists and researchers but from governments and the United Nations. This is a testimony not only to the credibility of INESAP work, but to its accessibility, and to the fact that it represents opinions that are widely held.
Yet at the same time, global efforts for disarmament, and especially nuclear disarmament, are facing new resistance. The Bush administration's Nuclear Posture Review represents such a rapid slide back towards the nuclear stone age that one wonders how deeply amoral politics can become. It is essential for human survival that these retrograde developments be stopped. The worldwide outpouring of opposition in February 2003 to the Iraq War suggests that powerful new movements against war and nuclear weapons are possible. But the task remains for peace activists to understand once again the fundamental threat to humanity and the planet posed by nuclear weapons, and to put a nuclear-free world back on the political agenda.
For me, the 'growing up' of INESAP is closely linked with the names Jürgen Scheffran, Martin Kalinowski and Wolfgang Liebert, although many others have made significant contributions. Without thehard work and commitment of this contradictory trio, I believe INESAP never would have grown and thrived. The difficult and complex conditions critical scientists face today prevents any of them from working for INESAP on a paid basis. Scientists who are dedicated to work on such key questions as the elimination of nuclear weapons and the dangers of space militarization always must struggle against the pressures of mainstream neoliberal policies and perspectives, which also are reflected in our universities.
What kind of society are we living in? We must address this question first to German politics. What kind of society makes it impossible for scientists to work on subjects of such importance to humanity without jeopardizing their careers and livelihoods? "Shame on this country," Heinrich Heine would say, to paraphrase. Against this background, all the various activities of INESAP – its events, publications, conventions, and actions – seem even more important and inspiring.
In the end, this international network is indispensable if the fight against nuclear weapons is to continue, perhaps after a new beginning with actions and events in 2005 commemorating the 60th memorial of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and demanding not empty promises but a plan and schedule for a world without nuclear weapons.
For INES, INESAP has always been our expert team on space and nuclear weapons, and perhaps the most productive field of work in the larger international network of scientists. INESAP always has been something special, and its active support for INES has been essential.
Through the years, I have tried to give back to INESAP a little bit of what INES has benefited from. Both networks have profited from our collaboration, and we should continue to build on our past cooperation. We have much common ground, not only in the content of our work, but in the personal and institutional relationships that sustain our work – such as the support we receive from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
We have a great task before us, perhaps the greatest challenge scientists working for peace can take on: to eliminate the nuclear danger forever, which requires the abolition of nuclear weapons.
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