Youth Fusion Podcast
Youth Fusion
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The Youth Fusion Podcast is the official podcast channel hosted by Youth Fusion - Abolition 2000 Youth Network, engaging our members with experts in fields relevant to nuclear disarmament. We create critical discussions aimed at providing our listeners with an insight into the ongoing debates around nuclear disarmament. Our team is open to suggestions of speakers and invitations to partake in any other relevant debates. We thank Pink Floyd's Roger Waters for permission to use an excerpt from his anti-nuclear classic Two Suns in the Sunset (2020 remake) as the Youth Fusion Podcast jingle.
Available episodes
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Mar 5, 2023
Youth Fusion: Peace Out with Aigerim Seitenova & Michaela Higgins Sørensen
Welcome to Youth Fusion: Peace Out! In the very first episode, Vanda chats with two young professionals from the nuclear disarmament & security fields: Aigerim Seitenova & Michaela Higgins Sørensen. Together, they talk about the struggles young individuals in the field have to face, but also why it is a field absolutely worth staying in. For more information about this podcast mini-series, visit Youth Fusion's website.
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Feb 8, 2023
Youth Fusion International Law Series with Dr. John Burroughs
Gabriela Maier Tolic, a program assistant at Youth Fusion, sits down with Dr. John Burroughs, who is a senior analyst for the New York City-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP). From February 1999 to September 2020 he was the Executive Director. Dr. Burroughs has represented LCNP in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty meetings and negotiations on the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons and was a member of the Marshall Islands’ legal team in its nuclear disarmament cases in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Beyond this, he taught international law as an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School. He has a J.D. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. from Harvard University.
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Jan 11, 2023
Youth Fusion International Law Series with Amela Skiljan & Alyn Ware
Welcome to the second episode of the Youth Fusion podcast series on nuclear weapons in international law. This podcast series was established to help those interested in finding out more about nuclear weapons issues and how they are regulated in international law by providing an overview of the status of international law connected to nuclear weapons. This episode explores questions surrounding the threat and use of nuclear weapons in international law.
Gabriela Maier Tolic, a program assistant at Youth Fusion, sits down with Amela Skiljan, a PhD Candidate at the University of Bremen and Alyn Ware, the Global Coordinator of PNND. Amela Skiljan studied law in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds a masters in International and European law (LL.M.Eur) from the University of Bremen and she is currently writing her PhD thesis. Beyond that, she is the Deputy Chairwoman of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) in Germany, a board member of IALANA and a Council Member of the International Peace Bureau. Alyn Ware is a peace educator and nuclear disarmament consultant representing various organizations, such as Aotearoa (New Zeeland Lawyers for Peace), the World Future Council and the Basel Peace Office.
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Nov 16, 2022
Youth Fusion in Conversation with Almudena Azcárate Ortega, UNIDIR
Mélusine Lebret, a Youth Fusion intern, recently sat down with Almudena Azcárate Ortega, from the UN Institute for Disarmament Research. Almudena is the research assistant for the Space Security Program, as well as for the Weapons of Mass Destruction & Other Strategic Weapons Program, at UNIDIR.
In our chat with Almudena, we covered topics from her backgrounds to the current state of the research on outer space security and the actions that are being taken to pursue the disarmament movement in orbit and beyond. We began with a discussion around UNIDIR’s mission in outer space security, the most difficult space norms it aims at tackling and how its achievements help question the 1967 Outer Space Treaty for the better. As the conversation led to analyzing the effects of counter space acts on the militarisation of space, we focused on the breakthroughs UNIDIR’s Space Dossiers had on the subject.
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Nov 10, 2022
Nuclear Weapons in International Law: An introduction to international law with Prof. Nick Grief
Welcome to the new Youth Fusion podcast series on nuclear weapons in international
law. As an advocate in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, one often
comes across legal references such as the obligation for disarmament in Art. 6 of the
NPT, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Sometimes it can be
challenging to understand how the treaties and agreements on nuclear weapons work
together in the system of international law and why it is so difficult to enforce them,
especially, as someone without a background in law. Therefore, this podcast series was
established to help anyone interested in finding out more about nuclear weapons issues
and how they are regulated in international law by providing an overview of the status of
international law connected to nuclear weapons. We invited a number of experts on
these questions to share their knowledge with us and we hope that what you learn here
will help you to become better at using relevant and applicable international law in your
work and thus make you more effective in your nuclear non-proliferation and
disarmament activism.
In this first episode, Gabriela Maier Tolic, a program assistant at Youth Fusion, talks
about the fundamental principles of international law with Prof. Nick Grief, who is an
Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Kent, with a specialization in international
law and human rights, and has help many positions within this field.
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Sep 28, 2022
Space for Peace: A Conversation with Minister Phil Twyford
Russell Burrell, a Youth Fusion associate, recently sat down with Minister Phil Twyford_,_ from New Zealand, and Alyn Ware of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. Minister Twyford is currently New Zealand’s Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control and State Minister for Trade and Export, and Alyn is PNND’s Global Coordinator.
In our chat with Minister Twyford and Alyn, we covered topics from their backgrounds to current state of international affairs and the disarmament movement. The most intriguing part of our chat, however, was the portion on Outer Space. In the context of today’s global challenges, we discussed the difficulties and challenges outlined in the disarmament handbook, Assuring Our Common Future, and more, but the bulk of our discussion rested on New Zealand’s own policies related to outer space; New Zealand has two primary policies, which Minister Twyford helped push forward: the 2017 Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act and the 2019 Space Launch Guidelines, both of which aim to be in line with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
This podcast has been in support of the upcoming webinar “Ensuring that outer space remains a common good”, which takes place on September 29th, 2022. There will be two sessions: one at 7am CET for participants from the Indo-Pacific and Middle-East Regions, and one at 1pm CET for participants from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. This webinar is in support of the disarmament handbook “Assuring Our Common Future”, which can be found at disarmamenthandbook.org.
For more on the upcoming webinar, please see the PNND webpage or the IPU website’s event page.
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Sep 21, 2022
Youth Fusion: Peace Out (trailer)
Welcome to Youth Fusion: Peace Out! In this short trailer, Vanda will introduce the new series. For more information, visit Youth Fusion's website.
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Jul 25, 2022
Space for Peace: A Conversation with Professor Paul Meyer
Russell Burrell, a Youth Fusion associate through Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, sat down with Professor Paul Meyer recently to discuss issues to do with peace versus militarization in Outer Space. Mr. Meyer is currently a Director of the Canadian Pugwash Group, Fellow at the Outer Space Institute, and adjunct professor at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Formerly, he was Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from 2003 to 2007. Mr. Meyer has published academic and other articles on several aspects of international security, including nuclear non-proliferation, cyber security, and outer space. He also contributed a great deal to the Space section of the Disarmament Handbook “Assuring Our Common Future”. In our interview with Mr. Meyer, we discussed his background, what brought him into international affairs, how he came to work with the Canadian Foreign Service, and of course, outer space.
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Jul 13, 2022
Youth Fusion Expert Series with Dr. Becky Alexis Martin
Michaela Sørenen, a core member of Youth Fusion, had the honour of interviewing Dr. Becky Alexis-Martin, who has been involved with nuclear related issues for many years and has an impressive plethora of work on some pretty niche topics- which is what we love around here at Youth Fusion- we are all about niche and nuance! Just a quick snippet of information before we start, Dr. Becky was in Vienna for the _MSP_ while this interview took place, and Michaela was fortunate enough to meet up with her there a few days later where they were on the same panel about The future of youth engagement with the _TPNW_!
Dr. Becky Alexis-Martin is currently a Lecturer in Cultural and Political Geography at _Manchester Metropolitan University_. On top of this, she is also the _Principal Investigator of Nuclear Families_, which is a large-scale, multidisciplinary social sciences project exploring the lives of British Nuclear test veterans and their families, as well as being the _Principal Investigator of Atomic Atolls_, a study that explores the colonial necropolitics of the South Pacific, among many other exciting things!
Check out Dr. Alexis Martin’s website at _https://www.nucleargeography.com_ where she has a plethora of resources on nuclear related issues for you to read up on!
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May 16, 2022
Youth Fusion Expert Series: Renata Hessmann Dalaqua
Welcome to the Youth Fusion Experts Series, a podcast where we engage with leaders and experts in the various related fields of nuclear disarmament, peace and security, and sustainable development. Through these conversations, we wish to offer you all the chance to learn and be inspired by those who are actively working towards a fairer and more peaceful future for all.
My name is Michaela Sørensen, and I am a program officer at Youth Fusion, and I am delighted to host today’s episode. Today we have with us a very experienced and well accomplished guest with a very cool background, Renata Hessmann Dalaqua, who is originally from Brazil. Renata is currently the Head of the Gender and Disarmament Programme at UNIDIR, but before joining UNIDIR, she was the Deputy Director of Projects at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), where she worked for six years.
Renata is also the recipient of the United Nations Women Scholarship for Peace, where she has published and conducted research on international cooperation on security, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, and nuclear energy governance. She holds a PhD in History and Politics from the Vargas Foundation in Brazil, and a master's degree in International Politics and Security from the University College of London, UK.
Renata’s areas of expertise include gender and multilateral disarmament fora, nuclear energy policy-making and technology governance. Today, we are very excited to hear from her, so without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
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May 9, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Mere Tuilau
This is the fifth episode of the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts. In this series, we aim to raise awareness about the consequences of the nuclear weapons testing/or use by uplifting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition to that, we also draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing/or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we pursue to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In this episode of the podcast series, Youth Fusion spoke with Mere Tuilau, a youth advocate from Fiji. Together with Ms. Tuilau, Aigerim Seitenova, the host of this series, looked into the destinies of Fijian veterans who were sent to Kiribati Island (Christmas Island), which at the time was a nuclear test site and a colony of the British Empire. Ms. Tuilau spoke on how Fijian soldiers were treated…
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May 5, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Ariana Tibon
This is the fourth episode of the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts. In this series, we aim to raise awareness about the consequences of nuclear weapons testing or use by highlighting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition, we draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we seek to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In this episode, Youth Fusion converses with Ariana Tibon, a nuclear justice advocate and Commissioner and Nuclear Envoy to the RMI National Nuclear Commission. Aigerim Seitenova, the host of this series, gets to learn about the historical background to the US nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands, connecting it to nuclear and colonial legacies, forced displacements and how to utilize education to pursue nuclear ju…
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May 5, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Dr. Togzhan Kassenova and Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla
In the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts, Youth Fusion aims to raise awareness about the consequences of the nuclear weapons testing/or use by uplifting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition to that, we also draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing/or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we pursue to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In this episode, Youth Fusion had conversations with Dr. Togzhan Kassenova, an expert in nuclear politics, WMD nonproliferation and the prevention of financial crime, and Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla a youth activist from Kazakhstan. Dr Togzhan Kassenova and Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla shared the importance of Kazakhstan’s role in the nuclear disarmament field that marked the history of the country from the very beginning of its independence. Th…
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Apr 28, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Miho Tanaka and Iku Nakamura
In the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts, Youth Fusion aims to raise awareness about the consequences of the nuclear weapons testing/or use by uplifting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition to that, we also draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing/or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we pursue to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In the second episode of the podcast series, Youth Fusion spoke with Miho Tanaka and Iku Nakamura, youth activists from Japan.
In this episode, Miho and Iku share their experiences of activism and organizational work to raise awareness around nuclear disarmament, including projects related to engagement with Diet Members of the Japanese Parliament with the aim to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
E…
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Apr 25, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Livia Cordova, New Mexico
In the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts, Youth Fusion aims to raise awareness about the consequences of the nuclear weapons testing/or use by uplifting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition to that, we also draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing/or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we pursue to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In the first episode, we have a conversation with Tina and Livia Cordova, activists and advocates from New Mexico, USA. The episode was divided into Part I and Part II where the host of this series, Aigerim Seitenova, gets to know about negative implications related to the Trinity Test, the first nuclear weapons testing in the US that took place in South Central New Mexico.
This is Part II of the first episode where Livia Cordova, an inspi…
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Apr 25, 2022
Nuclear Collateral Damage: Tina Cordova, New Mexico
In the new podcast series Nuclear Collateral Damage: Conversations with Survivors and Experts, Youth Fusion aims to raise awareness about the consequences of the nuclear weapons testing/or use by uplifting voices of previous and current generations who have been negatively impacted up until this day. In addition to that, we also draw attention to a kinship of nuclear weapons testing/or use with colonial histories in different parts of the world. By addressing individual and collective traumas, we pursue to revive, restore and reclaim human dignity.
In the first episode, we have a conversation with Tina and Livia Cordova, activists and advocates from New Mexico, USA.
The episode was divided into Part I and Part II where the host of this series, Aigerim Seitenova, gets to know about negative implications related to the Trinity Test, the first nuclear weapons testing in the US that took place in South Central New Mexico.
This is Part I of the first episode where Tina Cordova shares h…
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Feb 13, 2022
Youth Fusion in conversation with Douglas Roche
In the Youth Fusion Elders series we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In the season's sixth episode, Youth Fusion Member Arthur Duforest had the honour to sit down with Mr Douglas Roche, a longstanding and outstanding voice on, actor in and advocator for human security, disarmament and peace, for an inspiring conversation on his multifaceted work in Canadian politics, diplomacy and UN-driven multilateral disarmament processes.
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Jan 17, 2022
Youth Fusion Expert Series: Lis Kayser
Welcome to the Youth Fusion Experts Series, a podcast where we engage with leaders and experts in the various related fields of nuclear disarmament, peace and security, and sustainable development. Through these conversations we wish to offer you all the chance to learn and be inspired by those who are actively working towards a fairer and more peaceful future for all.
My name is Michaela Sørensen, and I am a program officer at Youth Fusion, and I am delighted to host today’s episode. Let me introduce you to today’s guest, Lis Kayser, who is currently doing her PhD at The Danish Institute for International Studies, otherwise known as DIIS, on “T”, which is part of DIIS’s ongoing project called ‘RADIANT’, which stands for ‘Radioactive Ruins: Security in the Age of the Anthropocene’. Lis’ academic background lies in anthropology, which is the field her PhD is in. Her PhD project explores how nuclear legacies, including infrastructural expansion, economic transform…
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Aug 17, 2021
Youth Fusion Experts Series: Dr Tong Zhao
Welcome to the very first episode of the Youth Fusion Experts Series, a podcast where we engage the leaders and experts in the various related fields of nuclear disarmament, peace and security, and sustainable development. Through these conversations we wish to offer you all the chance to learn and be inspired by those who are actively working towards a fairer and peaceful future for all.
Youth Fusion was honored to launch this series by an interview with Dr Tong Zhao, senior fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in Beijing at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. Dr. Zhao speaks to a Youth Fusion member Accardo Hu about his personal experiences and China’s NFU and nuclear disarmament policy.
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May 26, 2021
Youth Fusion in conversation with Dr Scilla Elworthy
In the Youth Fusion Elders series we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In the season's fifth episode, Youth Fusion Members Michaela Sorensen and Nico Edwards had the honour to sit down with long-time peacebuilder, changemaker and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Dr Scilla Elworthy (UK), to have a virtual conversation on the drivers behind and lessons learnt during her long career in service of non-violent peacebuilding, cooperation and compassion. "Students have far more rights now than they had thirty or forty years ago. Use those rights! Go to those meetings, put your hand up, ask the awkward question and hope that you get a stunned silence because that means you hit the mark."
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May 11, 2021
Youth Fusion in conversation with Dr Andreas Nidecker
In the Youth Fusion Elders series we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In the fourth episode of the season, Youth Fusion Member Arthur Duforest had the pleasure to sit down with Prof. (em.) Andreas Nidecker MD, prominent Swiss physician, nuclear disarmer and President of the Basel Peace Office. Join Arthur and Dr Nidecker for a dynamic conversation touching upon his experiences of bringing doctors, lawyers, activists and politicians into conversation with each other to promote effective and workable nuclear disarmament initiatives, and his efforts at engaging youths in climate action, nuclear disarmament and the political process.
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Mar 29, 2021
Youth Fusion in conversation with Ana María Cetto
In the Youth Fusion Elders series, we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In the third episode of the season, Youth Fusion co-convenor Michaela Sørensen had the pleasure to sit down with Prof. Ana María Cetto, Mexico’s woman of the year in 2003, who has had a highly dynamic career in the International Atomic Energy Agency as well as the Nobel Peace Prize winning Pugwash Conferences. Join Michaela and Ms Cetto for an equally dynamic conversation touching upon her career as a woman based in Latin America, and her efforts in promoting scientific information programs as well as programs promoting women in science across the Latin American continent.
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Mar 23, 2021
Youth Fusion in conversation with Mogens Lykketoft
We are happy to present the second episode in the Youth Fusion Elders series, where we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In this episode, Youth Fusion Members Arthur Duforest and Michaela Sørensen had the pleasure to sit down with Mogens Lykketoft, former president of the 70th United Nations General Assembly, and a leading figure of the Danish Social Democratic party. Join us in this virtual conversation around his life-long involvement with political and global matters as well as his time within the UN, addressing topics such as the importance of intergenerational dialogue and the intersections between the Sustainable Development Goals, nuclear and general disarmament.
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Feb 15, 2021
Youth Fusion in conversation with Bruce Kent
We are happy to share the very first episode in our Youth Fusion Elder series, where we engage the long-time and effective leaders of the peace, disarmament and related fields, in a dialogue across generations, topics and disciplines. Through creating a conversation between active youths and their inspiring predecessors, we wish to open up an inclusive space for learning, listening and, above all, sharing.
In this episode, Youth Fusion Member Nico Edwards had the pleasure to sit down with lifelong and ever-creative peace campaigner and change maker Bruce Kent (UK), who keeps leading the way as an apostle of ingenuity and fighting spirit still at 91 y/o. Join us in this virtual conversation around the drivers, challenges and lessons learnt from Mr Kent's more than half a century of peace work. His is a story of how we all have it in us to live positive change.
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