Nuclear Weapon Risks in a Problematic Time

This open access book brings together the texts of the talks presented at the XXIII Amaldi Conference, organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the Pugwash Organization, and held in Rome from October 28 to 30, 2024.

The main focus was on the risk of potential nuclear conflicts arising from the current international situation, particularly due to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. It also analyzed the possible consequences of both local and global nuclear conflicts. Additionally, discussions addressed the role of the scientific community in facilitating the resumption of international dialogue on nuclear disarmament, especially in the East Asian context.

Other topics covered included the impact of artificial intelligence and space technology on modern conflicts, as well as prospects for large-scale energy production from nuclear fission and fusion. The chapters are written by experts from various disciplines, representing universities, international organizations, and governments from Europe, the United States, the Middle East, China, and Japan.

Paolo Cotta-Ramusino is a Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Milan; Senior Researcher at the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics; Associate with the Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Adjunct Professor in the Centre of International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and the World Academy of Art and Sciences in Boston; and Secretary General of the international NGO, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Nobel Peace Prize 1995, since 2002.

Micah Lowenthal was Lecturer and Researcher in Nuclear Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the Director of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC) at the US National Academy of Sciences and Senior Director for international networks and cooperation in the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dr. Lowenthal is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society (APS) and past Chair of the APS Forum on Physics and Society. He was a Member of the Board of the XXII Edoardo Amaldi Conference. 

Luciano Maiani is an Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Sapienza University of Roma and former Director General of CERN. Prof. Maiani predicted the existence and properties of charged particles (GIM mechanism) crucial to the formulation of a gauge theory of electroweak interactions. Currently, his work is focused on the formation of quark-gluon plasma in heavy ion collisions. Prof. Maiani chaired the XXII Edoardo Amaldi Conference. 

Barbara Gallo, a freelance journalist since 2016, graduated in Sociology from the University of Rome "La Sapienza." She focuses on conflict geopolitics, particularly in the Asian subcontinent. She has collaborated with, Fondazione Pangea, and UNICEF Italia, addressing women's issues in Afghanistan and advocacy work. Since 2019 she has been involved in the Stop Killer Robots campaign and the European Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium. She has spoken at international conferences on military spending, lethal autonomous weapons, and WMDs. Author of many articles on human rights, women and children in conflict zones, and WMDs.