Annan urges immediate disarmament

"Mutually assured destruction has been replaced by mutually assured paralysis," outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday of the state of international debate over nuclear arms in a major policy address at Richardson Auditorium.

Likening the international community to a pilot "asleep at the controls of a fast-moving aircraft," Annan criticized the lack of a unified, global strategy for disarmament and nonproliferation as the main reasons that nuclear weapons still threaten humanity.

While he did not discount the importance of combating the spread of biological and chemical weapons, Annan said that he considers nuclear arms the greatest current danger, citing a crisis of confidence in the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and fears that terrorists may gain access to nuclear materials.

"Even a single bomb can destroy an entire city," he said. "These weapons pose a unique threat to humanity as a whole."

With the collapse of the Cold War, the notion of mutually assured destruction gave way to the realization that widespread nuclear arms pose a serious threat to the future of civilization, Annan said. The international community is split into two camps, he explained, with one side favoring rapid disarmament of existing nuclear states and the other focusing on preventing proliferation of weapons to previously nonnuclear nations.

"The debate echoes a much older argument: Are weapons a cause or a symptom of conflict?" Annan said. "I believe both debates are sterile, counterproductive and based on false dichotomies."

In Annan's view, the goals of nonproliferation and disarmament should be accomplished concurrently. "We must tackle both tasks with the urgency they demand," he said. "Yet each side waits for the other to move. This sends a terrible signal of disunity and ... creates a vacuum that can be exploited."

He addressed both sides of the issue, advising nations supporting each position to work together to accomplish the real goal: "the progressive elimination of all nuclear weapons, under strict and effective international control." Annan also theorized that a "reverse domino effect" could be attempted, in which leading nations would systematically reduce their nuclear arsenals to "devalue the currency of nuclear weapons and encourage others to follow suit." This, in turn, would create a situation where "it would be much easier to confront proliferators if the very existence of nuclear weapons were universally acknowledged and dangerous and ultimately illegitimate."

The Secretary-General ended with an exhortation to the audience. "My dear young friends," he said to the students in attendance, "you are already admirably engaged in the struggle for global development, for human rights and for the protection of the environment. Please bring your energy and imagination to this debate."

Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80, who introduced Annan, said in an email that his speech "had the hallmarks of many of his most important statements: a determination to address both sides of a debate that has become paralyzed and to tackle each side's toughest arguments."

"He offered the voice of reason ... as well as offering some realistic, concrete steps," she added. "Above all, though, he performed the function that the Secretary-General is often the only global figure able to perform — to insist on global attention to an issue and to let no party off the hook."

Following the speech, Annan took several questions from the audience, which mostly focused on nuclear weapons. In response to several similar queries, he stressed that a central system for nuclear fuel distribution will be essential to ensure future nuclear security, as nations would have little incentive to create their own sources of fissile material.

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He also addressed the genocide in Darfur, saying that the United Nations intends to send troops, but cannot do so without permission from the Sudanese government. "Without their consent, you won't get troops from other nations or from a coalition of the willing," Annan said. "Nobody wants to fight their way [into the region]."

After the question-and-answer session, Annan received the third annual Crystal Tiger award from Cindy Chou '07 and the other members of the award's selection committee.

In her speech, Chou said Annan is an inspiration to Princetonians. "Your work in promoting aid in developing countries has reinforced our commitment to changing our own communities for the better," she said. "Thank you for setting a course of lifelong service that we can only hope to emulate."

After accepting the award, Annan returned to the podium to address the audience. "I have received many awards, but I will treasure this one particularly because it comes from the leaders of tomorrow," he said. "Also," he added with a smile, "I was born in the year of the tiger."

The speech was the second of four public addresses Annan is giving before his tenure expires at the end of December.