Soon Syria will eliminate its chemical weapons. Libya and South Africa gave up the nuclear option some years ago. An agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme is now possible. Finland is to host a conference on the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Many (governments and civil society) are pressing for a convention to ban all nuclear weapons. Can we create a more rational, less threatening world with better funding for health, education and action on climate change?

First appeared in Ideapod 11 November 2013