Walkshop 2025

The Walkshop’s Mission

The 2025 Walkshop will give a deeper understanding of the risks of nuclear weapons for longterm peacekeeping. Through this process, the participants will become multipliers of peace, not only aware of the dangers of nuclear war, but also of the potential solutions. The topic of the planned Walkshop (summer 2025) is “Nuclear Risks and Long-Term Peacekeeping.” 25 young people will be trained as multipliers for peace and international conflict prevention through digital auditory teaching/learning materials, learning venues, and discussion sessions on a hike in Scotland near the location of Britain’s nuclear weapons. During the stages of the hike, participants will absorb several hours of expertise through digital teaching/learning media and then discuss it in pairs or groups of three while walking alongside each other (listening and discussion time approximately 4.5 hours per day on average). At fixed intervals, there will be a rotation, so the groups are continually reconstituted. Another didactic element in the project is the visit to “learning venues,” such as the military base in Faslane, where the Trident submarines with Britain’s nuclear weapons are stationed, or the long-standing peace camp next to the base.

Why this topic?

Peace is not only a fundamental human need but also a key factor for the well-being and development of future generations. Only the absence of war enables an environment in which people can unfold their potential. This has direct implications for the quality of life and future prospects of upcoming generations. The Charter of the United Nations (UN), signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, begins with the words: “We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind [...].” The Charter was signed in the wake of the consequences of World War II, the historical event that resulted in the sharpest decline in human welfare in history.

Wars and violent conflicts have devastating consequences for society. They lead to loss of life and health, destroy communities and infrastructure, interrupt social progress, and often leave long-term traumas. With the possession of nuclear weapons, humanity has, for the first time in its history, the means to put an end to its existence. While the global number of nuclear warheads has been decreasing since the 1980s, nuclear-armed states (USA, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea) are modernising their arsenals. Notably, the development of tactical nuclear weapons makes the use of nuclear weapons more likely, as they can be deployed with greater precision.

The war in Ukraine and the increasingly escalating tensions surrounding Taiwan have made the use of nuclear weapons more likely than ever before since 1945 (cf. Doomsday Clock). The growing mistrust between nuclear-armed states, the arms control treaties between the USA and Russia terminated by Trump and Putin, China’s decision to strive for nuclear parity with the USA and Russia, the increasing use of autonomous systems independent of human command chains, the unstable security situation in the Middle East, and the considerations of previously nuclear-free states to develop their own nuclear weapons are just some of the current challenges. 

In research on existential risks to humanity, there is a high probability that within the lifetime of a child born today, widespread use of nuclear weapons will occur. Humanity cannot afford to continue relying on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence developed in the 1950s for a bipolar world: the current handling of nuclear weapons is not sustainable for the future.

Peaceful cooperation (positive peace) goes beyond the absence of armed conflicts (negative peace). In a stable peace order, military or defense spending would be very limited, and the financial resources needed to maintain and modernise nuclear (overkill) arsenals would be completely unnecessary. More financial resources could be invested in areas such as education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and combating climate change, for the benefit of present and future generations. 

The only method to overcome these extreme threats is through longterm peacekeeping. Securing longterm peace requires measures at the individual, local, national, and international levels. “Positive” peace requires building trust and promoting dialogue between nations, cooperation in conflict prevention and resolution, strengthening institutions for peace and justice, promoting human rights, and sustainable development. The exchange in this Walkshop will mainly take place between Germans and Scots. Germany has signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while Great Britain is a nuclear power. The perspectives on the topic are likely to differ, which makes the exchange all the more important. The Walkshop will not only include these vital exchanges, but also teach participants how to work as peace multipliers engaged with longterm peacekeeping.

Financing

This project is supported by the Apfelbaum Foundation.