Culture and Nuclear Weapons

If we change our cultural conceptions of nuclear weapons, we can make the world safer from nuclear threats.

The dangers of nuclear weapons are rarely communicated in a way that is compelling and accessible, despite the fact that these risks affect us all. At Ploughshares Fund, we are exploring the power of media, technology, and popular culture to change perceptions and attitudes. Learn more about our Cultural Change Initiative here.

Latest News, Analysis and Explorations of Culture and Nuclear Weapons

Ben Rhodes and Eric Schlosser Join Ploughshares Fund Board of Directors

We are thrilled that Ben Rhodes and Eric Schlosser are adding their formidable talents to the Ploughshares Fund Board of Directors. Ben Rhodes and Eric Schlosser are prominent figures in promoting the elimination of nuclear weapons threats. Ben Rhodes played a central role in developing nuclear...

February 14, 2018 - By Ploughshares Fund
Transforming Thinking, Advancing Policy

Women have led, and are leading, the fight to create a safer, saner and more egalitarian future in many areas of civic life, and nuclear security is no different. Ploughshares Fund aims to increase women's leadership and to amplify the role and voices of women working to reduce nuclear threats....

February 6, 2018 - By Ploughshares Fund
Joe Cirincione Oklahoma Speaking Tour

In Oklahoma on Monday, January 29 and Tuesday, January 30, 2018, there will be four opportunities to see and hear Joseph Cirincione. Joe Cirincione is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation focused on eliminating nuclear threats. An MSNBC nuclear security expert, Cirincione...

January 23, 2018 - By Ploughshares Fund
Grantee Spotlight: Global Zero

Global Zero is on a mission to rid the world of the nuclear threat. With backing from Ploughshares Fund, Global Zero is enlisting young activists across the United States. It will take thousands, maybe even millions, of people across the globe — especially young people, eager to engage in...

December 11, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
Kavita N. Ramdas Joins Ploughshares Fund's Board of Directors

We welcome Kavita N. Ramdas to our Board of Directors. A prominent figure in women’s rights, advocacy and public affairs, Ramdas was a featured panelist at “Chain Reaction: Women in Security” in June 2016, in which women involved in arms control and nuclear security efforts came together to...

November 15, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
Grantee ICAN Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

On October 6, 2017, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). According to the Nobel Committee, ICAN is...

October 6, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty. This landmark global agreement was adopted in New York...

September 29, 2017 - By Will Lowry
Terisa Siagatonu and Janae Johnson

At this year's Chain Reaction event featuring former Secretary of State John Kerry and Global Zero Campaign Director Meredith Horowski, Bay Area artists Terisa Siagatonu and Janae Johnson delivered a powerful poetry recital based on their experiences living under the...

August 29, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
Nagasaki Day 2017

On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped the ‘Fat Man’ atomic bomb on Nagasaki, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This was the second time a nuclear weapon was used in warfare, both times by the United States, whose government still maintains the right to a first nuclear...

August 9, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
Hiroshima Day 2017

On August 6, 1945, the United States became the first and only nation to use a nuclear weapon in combat, when it dropped the ‘Little Boy’ atomic bomb on Hiroshima and ‘Fat Man’ on Nagasaki three days later. The two bombings killed at least 129,000 people and injured many others. Radiation from...

August 4, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund