Address from the President Mikhail Gorbachev on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs It is good to know that the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs is an on-going, vibrant project that continues to bring together concerned scientists who fully understand their responsibility to humankind. As I think about Pugwash’s contribution to the worldwide movement to stop the nuclear arms race, my first thoughts are of course about our friend Joseph Rotblat, a truly visionary leader whose example will continue to be an inspiration to all of us. Even in the years when things did not look good for the cause of nuclear disarmament he was among those who did not succumb to panic or despair and continued to work persistently to make people and politicians understand the pernicious futility of the arms race and the need to rethink international politics in the nuclear age. The role of the anti-nuclear movement was equally important during the years when the joint efforts of people and leaders in the East and the West brought the Cold War to an end.
As we face the new era, with a different set of challenges and opportunities, we need similar vision, courage and perseverance. The past few years have been difficult for our cause. We need a lot of creative thinking to make up for lost time and build an intellectual foundation for agreements that would dramatically cut the arsenals of nuclear weapons on the way to their elimination and prevent an arms race in space. We need your brainpower not just to analyze the problem but to find solutions.
Mikhail Gorbachev,
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
President of the USSR, 1990-1991 |