Ending the Nuclear Evil 

Ending the nuclear evil

Desmong Tutu, who along with Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress, struggled successfully to end Apartheid and its evils in South Africa, continues to exhort the world to end what he correctly calls “nuclear evil”.  He says: “Eliminating nuclear weapons is the democratic wish of the world’s people. Yet no nuclear-armed country currently appears to be preparing for a future without these terrifying devices. In fact, all are squandering billions of dollars on modernization of their nuclear forces, making a mockery of United Nations disarmament pledges. If we allow this madness to continue, the eventual use of these instruments of terror seems all but inevitable.”

A chilling thought. An accurate assessment. A telling adjective to describe the behavior of the world’s nuclear leaders and would-be nuclear leaders: madness.  Our species is now in the grip of leaders behaving as if they have gone mad. Or does it go deeper than “behavior”? Could be that their soul has gone mad?

Think about that.  Isn’t it time now to do what the youth and their allies did in Egypt who get rid of their leader Mubarak for becoming quite mad – with power and greed and corruption in office? Are not the leaders of nuclear nations similarly afflicted? 

We have reached a point where the peoples of the world have got to get beyond staging ever more demonstrations begging, cajoling, shouting for their leaders to change their deadly policies – the need is to replace, replace, replace them with people who have the right priorities. Priorities that match the overwhelming needs of the people and the planet. Nuclear disarmament is one of those very top priorities. Maybe the very biggest priority. Replace bad leaders. Don’t just complain about them. Don’t just beg and cajole them, and arouse more people to beg and cajole them, to do the right thing. Replace them!

John Rensenbrink

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