MITBuilding34April2,2016
ReducingtheDangersofNuclearWar
ElaineScarryHarvardUniversity
DemocracyandNuclearWeaponsCannotCo-Exist
Alfred Eisenstaedt,“MotherandChildinHiroshima, Japan,December1945.”GettyImages
Meridel Rubenstein“FourElements”1993
NASA
BlueMarble
InjurytothePersonsandtoEarth
InternationalLawprohibitsthisinjury
InternationalLawsolvestheproblemof“statisticalcompassion”
NationalLawsolvestheproblemof“statisticalcompassion”
NuclearWeaponsFreeZonesInternationalLawandPolicy Institution
NuclearWeaponsFreeZonesandNuclearWeaponsStatesWiki
JohnAinslieDisarmingTridentTimetable
• Two brakes onwarmaking inU.S.Constitution
Firstbrake:Article1section8clause11NowarwithoutaCongressional“DeclarationofWar”
Secondbrake:SecondAmendment
WhataretheformalfeaturesofaCongressional“DeclarationofWar”inthefivecaseswheretheU.S.hashadadeclaration?
Warof1812(withEngland)Mexican-AmericanWar1846SpanishAmericanWar1898WorldWarIWorldWarII
Whataretheformalfeaturesofpresidentialdeliberationaboutusinganuclearweapon?
TaiwanStraitsCrisis1954BerlinCrisis1959
• CongressionalDeliberationvs.PresidentialDeliberation•• VisibletothePublic InvisibletoPublicforthirty
years•• Clearsetofsentences Noclearstatementofaction•• ConspicuouslystagedvoteNovote•• ParticipantsequalParticipantsaresubordinates•• Dissentandcontestation: Nodissent.Nocontestation.• Testing Notesting.
• SecondBrake:TheRighttoBearArms
1Constitutionarrangesformany“interveninglayersofresistanthumanity”
2Resistanthumanity?Dosoldiersdissent?
3SecondAmendmentarrivesduringratificationofConstitution:Adistributionalrequirementcreatedduringdistributionalmoment
4Supportedbymilitaristsandpacifistsalike
5CivilstatureinU.S.ispremisedonmilitarystature15th,19th,and26Amendments
• Doublebrakeprovidestwogatesofauthorization
• DoublelocationiswhatdifferentiatesstatutorylawfromConstitutionallaw:ConstitutionallawrequirespassagebyCongressandratificationbypopulation
• 5000amendmentsproposed;27passed
WarmakingrequirespassagebyCongressandratificationbypopulation
ConstitutionsofOtherNuclearStates`` FrenchConstitution
Article35Article89
IndianConstitutionArticle246
RussianFederationConstitution(l993)Article102Article59
•••
fromElaineScarryThermonuclearMonarchy
AtthecloseoftheSecondTreatiseofGovernment(inthechapterexaminingthelegitimategroundsforrebellion),Lockequotesamemorableobservationaboutoneofhistory’styrants: “AndofCaligula...hewisht thatthepeoplehadbutoneneck,thathemightdispatchthemallatablow.” NuclearweaponsandthehighlypracticedarrangementsfortheirusehavemadeCaligula’swishcometrue:thepeopleofearthnowhavebutoneneckandcanbedispatchedallatablow.ItdoesnotmatterthatthethermonuclearmonarchswhopresideoverustodayareordinarilymuchnicerpeoplethanCaligula,foritisthenucleararchitectureitselfthatliteralizesandmonumentalizesCaligula;theindividualpersonalitiesofourmonarchs,andthealwaysamusingdifferencesamongthem,areatbestatemporarycheckonavaststructureofcrueltythatstandsreadytobeused.Itisnationalmonarchs,notterrorists,whohaveputthisinplaceandreadieditforuse,whetherbythemselvesorbystatelessactors.Anditisthesecolossalstructuresofillegitimatenon-governancethatmustbedismantled.
Meridel Rubenstien “NuclearTrigger”1993
TheFlooroftheWorldElaineScarry
Imaginethatthereonedaycametoexistonearth—sometimeinthefuture—asolitarycountrywithanewtechnology.Thetechnologyhasletthissolitarycountrystationadoor(ormoreprecisely,aseriesofdoors)underthefloorofeveryothercountryintheworld.
Iftheleaderofthesolitarycountryeverfeelsimperiledorimpededbyanothercountry,hecanopenthetrapdoorand,inasingleday,eliminatethepopulationofthatrivalcountry.Becausethearrangementofdoorsbeneatheachnationalfloorissectioned,theleadercanalter- nativelychoosetoeliminatejustpartoftheenemycountry,afourthofit,orathirdofit;hemightchoosetoopenthedoorsbeneaththeflooroftheopponent’smilitaryinstallationsonly,therebyeliminatingthoseinstallationsand,say,one-thirtiethofthecountry’spopulation.Asashorthand,thisingenioustechnologyandthepoliciesthatenableitsusemightbecalledtheFlexibleFloorDoctrine ....
ArchitectCarolinaDayer’s Renderingof“TheFlooroftheWorld”
ArchitectMagdalenaEgues’s Renderingof“TheFlooroftheWorld”
AdrianaRossArchitect
AdrianaRossArchitect
ArchitecturalStudentKristineProchnau’s Renderingof“Floorof theWorld”
NationalGeographic.Dec2015“TheFormidable,FragileBeautyofWarmingLandscapes”PhotographsbyFernandoMoleres IcesheetsinGreenland.
ScientificAmerican“ArcticBeautyinBlackandWhite:AlaskaBeforetheEffectsofGlobalWarming”8blackandwhitephotographs.
WiredMagazine:“BeautifulPolarPhotosTellaHauntingStoryaboutClimateChange”PhotographsbyCamilleSeaman(andstorybyJakob Schiller)
NASA.“ClimateChange:VitalSignsofthePlanet:BeautifulEarth