Press Release
Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Science Releases Briefing Book,
De-alerting nuclear weapons in Russia and the US: A path to reducing nuclear dangers
October 30, 2001
 Russian language version of this press release
The Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Science (IMEMO RAS) presented the report: De-alerting nuclear weapons in Russia and the US: A path to reducing nuclear dangers.
The report, which was prepared by leading specialists of the Center of Political and Military Prognosis of IMEMO RAS, suggests one of a variety of processes for limiting and reducing Russian and US nuclear arms. The report also points out that the current situation is unacceptable: ten years after the end of the Cold War, strategic nuclear weapons of both countries are still on high alert and can be launched against one another within several minutes.
Around 80 representatives of the Russian academic society, federal agencies, media, and non-governmental organizations participated in the meeting.
Statements were made by many participants, including:
Vladimir Georgievich Baranovsky - Deputy Director, IMEMO RAS
Alexander Alexeevich Pikaev - Manager, Non-proliferation and Arms Control Section IMEMO RAS
Vladimir Semenovich Belous - Senior Scientist, IMEMO RAS, Major-General (ret.)
Ira Shorr - Director, "Back From the Brink" campaign
Michele Boyd - Global Outreach Coordinator, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (statement is posted on this web site)
Mikhail Sergeevich Vinogradov - Representative, Committee of Scientists for Global Safety
Pavel Semenovich Zolotarev - Representative, Fund to Support Military Reforms, Major-General (ret.)
Varfolmey Vladimirovich Korobushin - First Vice-President, Academy of Military Science, Major-General (ret.)
Sergey Konstantinovich Oznobischev - Manager, Organizational-Analytical Administration RAS
Yuri Yevgenevich Federov - Deputy Director, PIR-Center
Statements emphasized the timely release of the report on the threshold of the meeting by the Russian and US Presidents in Crawford, Texas, and also the period of significant thawing of Russian-American relations connected with the participation of both governments in the international anti-terrorist coalition. They noted the necessity undertaking innovative steps for lifting the blockade in the Russian-American dialog on nuclear disarmament. At the same time, many participants emphasized that a lower level of nuclear weapons alert in Russia and the US would be difficult to realize without further improvements in the political relations between them, the implementation of global reductions of nuclear arsenals, decisions on the question of the ABM treaty and the expansion of NATO, and the involvement of the three other nuclear powers in the process of limiting and reducing nuclear arms.
In the meeting, it was announced that IMEMO RAS will send the report to interested Russian departments, and that the "Back From the Brink" campaign will distribute the conclusions and recommendations in the United States.
Moreover, IMEMO RAS is planning to appeal to the Russian and US leaders in the following statement:
More than ten years after the end of the Cold war, Russia and the U.S. still maintain thousands of nuclear weapons in a high-alert posture--ready for immediate launch. This nuclear posture compresses decision time for leaders in both nations to a matter of just minutes and increases the chances of nuclear war starting by accident or miscalculation. We believe the Presidents of Russia and the U.S. should work together to devise operational changes in the nuclear forces of their respective nations that would result in the verifiable "standing-down" of these nuclear forces. This would increase considerably the launch-decision time for each President and profoundly reduce the risk of accidental nuclear war.
Also on this web site:
Endorsement Statement for De-alerting (20 Russian NGO signatories) [Russian language version]
De-alerting nuclear weapons in Russia and the US: A path to reducing nuclear dangers, briefing book [Russian language version]
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Institute for Energy and Environmental Research