Ploughshares Stories

This month, Ploughshares and our partners came together to raise attention to the threat of nuclear weapons on Capitol Hill in a large-scale day of action, unlike any we have ever coordinated in the history of our organization. Alongside nearly 30 partners from more than ten different organizations, we gathered to distribute signed copies of…

How controversial weapons threaten global peace and your portfolio Many military weapons are considered controversial weapons due to the indiscriminate harm they cause to civilians, violating international humanitarian principles. Investing in controversial weapons makers doesn’t just threaten global peace – it also threatens your savings. Beyond the systemic risk to the global economy that a…

I was honored to attend the Munich Security Conference for the first time earlier this month. It is an undeniably influential gathering where speeches are made, signals are given, and action follows. The Conference was an opportunity to engage with global leaders from governments and civil society. It was an opportunity to learn more from…

The movement combatting the proliferation of nuclear weapons has long been a vital force for peace, safety, and environmental preservation. Our community has challenged some of the most dangerous technologies on Earth. Yet, as the movement continues to evolve, an essential question arises: who is truly included in this community, and how can it become…

In the first zine for the Atomic Alchemy series, Jasmine explores the revolutionary capacities of grief and love as guidance for liberation in life, death, and from nuclear weapons. Atomic Alchemy Zine #1: Nuclear Weapons Abolition and the Revolutionary Capacities of Grief and Love Author Jasmine Owens Jasmine Owens is a nuclear weapons abolitionist, writer,…

 Celebrating ten years of the Paul Olum Grant Fund A family dedicated to research and reducing nuclear weapons Ken Olum made his first gift to Ploughshares in 1987 in honor of his parents Paul and Vivian Olum, longtime advocates for peace and nuclear arms control. Global stockpiles were beginning to decline from the height of…

Mother New Mexico, look at her beauty. She stretches outwards endlessly, her mountains laying calmly amongst the endless plains of her belly. She bears all kinds of children, antelope, cougars, jackrabbits and yuccas and cacti, bipedal fjelskkdke. She loves them all deeply, and gives her whole self to them. They call her home, Mother New…

Ploughshares has entered a new chapter of leadership with the election of Gretchen Hund as its new Board Chair. Hund, a former Director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Center for Global Security, specialized in addressing emerging national security threats, including climate resilience. She came to her role on the board as a friend of…