As a student at McDaniel College studying International Relations and an activist with Global Zero, I unabashedly desire a world without nuclear weapons.
From my coursework, I know the frustrations and barriers that governments encounter in negotiations when trying to create meaningful change. However, I am optimistic that diplomacy is not a lost art and can still be used today to create a safer world without nuclear weapons.
Recently, members of Congress undermined diplomacy with Iran regarding nuclear weapons, thus threatening national and international security interests. One such attempt, the Menendez-Kirk Senate Bill 269, imposes more sanctions on Iran that will push that country further away from the negotiating table and threatens our best path to a nuclear weapons-free Iran.
History has shown us that dialogue and peaceful interactions are effective in creating change. We have the opportunity, now, to negotiate with Iran and take a major step toward a nuclear free world.
I want to see a world without nuclear weapons. Does Congress?
Leanna Jasek-Rysdahl
Westminster
