Nuclear weapons not only threaten massive destruction, but they also incur enormous costs. Apart from the damage caused by blast, fire and radioactive fallout from actual use in warfare, the weapons impose major financial, moral and political costs on nuclear weapons states and countries that host the weapons. The US alone spends annually over US$ 50 billion on its nuclear arsenal, and the global annual total is around  $90 billion. At a time of global economic crisis, when the international community is also struggling to come up with ways to respond to climate challenge and dwindling energy resources, can this be the right use of public money?
It is therefore an appropriate moment for IPB to publicly launch its new publication on this subject. In contrast to earlier studies which looked at single countries, Nuclear Weapons: At What Cost? offers a survey of the costs of the nuclear weapons programmes of all the relevant states – even though in some cases the exact figures are difficult to obtain.
Published by IPB 2009, 150pp approx, A5. ISBN: 92-95006-05-4. Price 25 CHF incl. postage. Click HERE for flyer