Women, Peace and Security
Allie Maloney is the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow for the Nuclear Information Project. Allie graduated with her bachelors in international affairs and political science from the University of Georgia. She was formerly a Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Fellow at UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security, where she focused her research on gender perspectives in nuclear nonproliferation.
Over the past year, the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons has experienced numerous wins that were celebrated at the Meeting of State Parties.
In an era of such massive sweeps upending federal programs, increased transparency is even more important to provide the public with the knowledge necessary to respond and hold the government accountable.
As long as nuclear weapons exist, nuclear war remains possible. The Nuclear Information Project provides transparency of global nuclear arsenals through open source analysis. It is through this data that policy makers can call for informed policy change.
With tensions and aggressive rhetoric on the rise, the next administration needs to prioritize and reaffirm the necessity of regular communication with China on military and nuclear weapons issues to reduce the risk of misunderstandings.
The U.S. should continue its voluntary moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons tests and implement further checks on the president’s ability to call for a resumption of nuclear testing.
Increasing women in leadership roles is important for gender parity and bringing in new perspectives, but it does not guarantee peace.