On Faith: Queen Noor: The End of WMDs

[bananas]

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2008/12/the_end_of_wmds.html

On Faith
Queen Noor
The End of WMDs

This month I was privileged to join a distinguished group of 100 international political, military, business and civic leaders in Paris to launch Global Zero, a campaign to mobilize decisive momentum for the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Global Zero is combining public outreach with high-level policy work to develop a step-by-step plan for phased, verified reduction of the world's estimated 27,000 nuclear weapons down to zero.

This may sound like a baby boomers' 60s revival dream, but in an increasingly perilous world the threat of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism has emerged as a 21st century priority. In recent months, a growing chorus of world leaders of nuclear nations including U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minster Vladimir Putin have called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia are among 189 countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Not surprisingly, the idea has overwhelming public support. A recent Global Zero poll of 21 nuclear and non-nuclear countries found that an average 76 percent of respondents favor an international agreement that would achieve zero nuclear weapons according to a set timetable that would include compliance monitoring.

I am personally committed to Global Zero as an international public servant, a Muslim, a citizen of the Middle East, and as a mother and grandmother. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have been of dire concern to me since my California elementary school cold war 'nuclear attack' drills when we were instructed to dive for cover under our rickety wooden desks. The terror instilled into us by those absurd exercises lasted for years. However, most of my experience over the past 30 years has been with WMD in slow motion--landmines and cluster bombs littering the Middle East and other conflict regions where I have worked.

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Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, who was born an Arab-American, is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice.

Posted by Queen Noor on December 19, 2008 1:04 PM

[Dorian Gray]

1. She spoke

at my university graduation in 1993, and I've respected her immensely since then. She is an intelligent and involved woman who seems to want to make this world a better place.