About the Back from the Brink Resolution
The CALL
The Resolution calls on the United States to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by:
renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first
ending the sole, unchecked authority of any President to launch a nuclear attack
taking US nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert
cancelling the plan to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons;
actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals
Background on Nuclear Weapons
Since the height of the Cold War the U.S. and Russia have dismantled more than 50,000 nuclear warheads, but 15,000 of these weapons still exist and they pose an intolerable risk to human survival. 95% of these weapons are in the hands of the United States and Russia; the rest are held by seven other countries, the United Kingdom, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea.
The Campaign
Back from the Brink: The Call to Prevent Nuclear War is a national grassroots initiative seeking to fundamentally change U.S. nuclear weapons policy and lead us away from the dangerous path we are on. The Call lays out five common-sense steps that the United States should take to reform its nuclear policy.
Relation to Madison, Wisconsin
In 1983, the Madison City Council passed an ordinance declaring the city a “nuclear free zone”. The Back from the Brink Resolution builds on this ordinance and commits the city to nuclear weapons free contracts and investments. Madison already has a socially responsible investment policy in place; it no longer invests in fossil fuel companies. We are asking the City do the same regarding nuclear weapons production.