Review article

Fifty Years of Pugwash Movement, Pugwash Conferences, Croatian Pugwash Group

Vladimir Knapp ; Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivo Šlaus ; Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Radovan Vukadinović ; Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

During the last 50 years Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs have proven their value acting as a forum for communication between the East and the West. By bringing together scientist from the both sides and using their scientific methods one could discuss the main global issue of the nuclear weapons and threat it posed, issue highly important during the Cold War, but not today. Even after the end of the Cold War the Pugwash movement remained authoritative forum of influential scientists which deals appropriately with the other major global issues. Except from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons emerged as the focus of analysis, while economic and scientific development in the Third World appeared later on. Pugwash has, moreover, for many years extended its remit to include problems of the environment and ecology especially of those aspects relevant for international relations which demand for coordinated international efforts. However, nuclear disarmament remains the central challenge of the movement, additionally strengthened by the challenges coming from the nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
The Pugwash beginnings date back to the years when the explosions of hydrogen bombs conducted by the USA and Soviet Union in 1952 and 1953 threatened to end the entire world. Pugwash movement itself and one of its founders, professor J. Rotblat were given The Nobel Peace Price in 1995.
Croatian scientists joined the movement at the beginning of the sixties when they organized Pugwash Conference in Dubrovnik (1963). The same year Croatian scientists established Yugoslavian Pugwash Group which was headed by professor Ivan Supek till 1985. In 1992 Croatian Pugwash Group was founded with the goals, tasks and measures of the Pugwash movement and the role of Croatian scientist and Croatian Pugwash Group being presented.

Keywords

Pugwash Movement; Pugwash Conferences; Croatian Pugwash Group

Hrčak ID:

291346

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/291346

Publication date:

1.2.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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