Global Zero is a term in the literature of
arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...
that refers to the worldwide elimination of a weapons system, especially
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s or a particular class of nuclear weapons. In negotiations over the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, both sides discussed and eventually agreed to the "global zero option" in delivery vehicles with intermediate range. This option differed from other proposals that would only restrict the use of intermediate-range delivery vehicles in the European theater. The term "global zero" has also been used in connection with de-alerting nuclear weapons and the elimination of tactical nuclear weapons.
[Alexander, B., & Millar, A. (2003). Tactical nuclear weapons: Emergent threats in an evolving security environment. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, p. 64 and Blair, B. G. (1995). Global zero alert for nuclear forces. Brookings occasional papers. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.]
The generic term "global zero" or "zero" is often associated with
nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. Its end state can also be a nuclear-weapons-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated. The term ''denuclearization'' is also used to describe the pro ...
or the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons in arms control discourse. Various arms control campaigns have referred to themselves as
Ground Zero
A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...
or simply as
Global Zero.
See also
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Nuclear Weapons: The Road to Zero
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International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
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Anti-nuclear organizations
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List of books about nuclear issues
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, bu ...
*
List of films about nuclear issues
References
External links
The Global Zero Movement
Nuclear weapons
Arms control
Anti-nuclear organizations
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