Nuclear disarmament is an Iowa issue for a lot of reasons. So why do so many Iowans seem unaware or unconcerned about the importance of nuclear disarmament?

The President continues to keep the “nuclear football” nearby; enabling the rapid and mutually assured destruction of the planet should Russia launch an attack against the United States. Mutually assured destruction would directly affect Iowans, killing most, if not all of us. That concern does not appear to be sufficient reason to engage Iowans to take political action on nuclear disarmament.

With all of the “loose” nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, terrorists could obtain enough enriched uranium to create a bomb, or steal an existing bomb, and detonate it in an Iowa city. Even as I write, this seems so unexpected as to seem unlikely. There are more prominent potential terrorist targets elsewhere in the country. Unless terrorists set off such a bomb, it seems unlikely that most Iowans would take action based on this nuclear threat.

With the proliferation of nuclear weapons in countries like Pakistan and India, the launch of a regional nuclear war between those countries could precipitate nuclear winter, resulting in disruption of the growing cycle, rendering Iowa’s cropland useless and leading to a worldwide famine. No, that doesn’t motivate either.

As I travel around the state, asking people about the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), in which nations would agree to end nuclear weapons testing for all parties, I find that there is a broad coalition of peace activists who have never forgotten about the need to get the world to zero nuclear weapons. The thing is, these good folks represent a small fraction of our population and are less influential in political circles. Our politicians will seek to hear what a majority of their constituents believe, and this issue is not on the radar screen for most Iowans. It should be and here is why.

The vote for ratification by Iowa’s senators is critical to nuclear disarmament. When asked, most people agree that working towards zero nuclear weapons is something the United States should do, and should take a world leadership role in accomplishing. What they do not always understand is that the new START treaty between Russia and the United States and the CTBT are critical steps towards reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world and preventing nations from developing new nuclear weapons capabilities. Ratification of these treaties requires 67 votes in the United States Senate. Both Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley will play a key role in the debate. While Senator Harkin is in favor of the treaties, Senator Grassley has not stated whether he would support START or the CTBT.

We should write our Senators and urge them to support the administration’s initiative on these treaties and to vote to ratify when they are considered by the Senate. It is especially important for Iowans to let Senator Grassley know that as constituents, Iowans believe in the importance of ratifying these treaties. Senator Grassley asserts that he listens to his constituents when making legislative decisions.

Secondly, Iowans have a capacity for engagement in issues beyond our borders, exemplified in our response to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. It is harder to take action without the stimulus of an external event. The nuclear threat is comprised of actual bombs and delivery systems. It is also an intellectual concept of “deterrence.” Because of this intellectual construct, it is easy, and a natural tendency, to delay action.

One hopes Iowans can devote some part of their time to the cause of nuclear disarmament. Talking about the issue with family and friends, or attending an elected official’s public forum and phoning a Senator are easy things to do. What is harder is taking the first step towards nuclear disarmament and the security it could represent when there are so many other pressing issues in our lives. Taking action is something we can and should do.

The nuclear threat did not start in Iowa, but Iowans can play a key role in getting moving towards our shared goal of nuclear disarmament by supporting the administration's initiative in nuclear arms reduction. I urge you to make the first step and urge your senators to vote to ratify START and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.