While most Choate students write papers on Shakespeare or the American Revolution, Kaki Su ’19 and Arjun Katechia ’19 presented a 30 page paper on nuclear disarmament they wrote, along with Charlie Yockey ’19, at the Critical Issues Forum on March 29-31 in Monterey, California. The purpose of this conference was to advocate for the worldwide disarmament of nuclear weapons, using the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty (NWPT) passed by the UN in July 2017 as a framework for their solutions. Each year for the past eleven years, Mr. James Davidson, an HPRSS faculty member, has taken two carefully selected Choate students to the conference.
Kaki Su ’19 and Arjun Katechia ’19 receive the Youth Commissioner Award at the Critical Issues Forum in Monterey, CA.
Mr. Davidson expressed the significance of the conference: “According to the UN, after global warming, a nuclear war or nuclear accident is what people fear most. It is a vitally important topic that most Americans seem oblivious to – our 4,018 nuclear weapons, most of which are 100-times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb, are all but invisible.” Katechia continued, “This conference was important because it centers itself around the utopian idea of nuclear disarmament. While many believe this is unattainable, it isn’t. The threat of nuclear war is greater than ever, and nuclear weapons pose themselves as one of the greatest threats to humanity. Therefore, it is imperative that we disarm ourselves.”
The conference, hosted annually by the Middlebury College Institute of International Studies, brought together high school students and faculty from 17 schools in Japan, the U.S., and Russia. Keynote speakers included Jon Wolsthal, Executive Director of Global Zero and former adviser to President Obama on disarmament, as well as Sarah Southard, author of Nagasaki: Life after Nuclear War. Representative students from each school presented a research paper along with a 20 to 30 minute long presentation.
The students who attended were able to greatly broaden their horizons on the subject of nuclear disarmament. Said Katechia, “I learned that while deterrence may be the rationale for clinging onto our nuclear weapons, it poses a large financial burden. The cost of each nuclear weapon is between 18 and 53 million dollars. And the US has 4,018 nuclear weapons.” Added Su, “Our main discussion was about why certain countries are not in [the treaty]. We discussed whether or not this treaty is actually effective, and what we can do to effectively disarm.”
Su explained the unique atmosphere of the conference: “Everyone was really idealistic about the topics. They were saying things like, ‘If we do this, this will happen.’ At the same time, however, we also know the reality of how things work in the world, which is that we don’t always know exactly how things work. People can call us naïve, but I think that idealism is not actually a bad thing. I think that having hope is what can actually drive you to do something, because being pessimistic doesn’t really get you anywhere. So, I thought that even though some of the schools were overly idealistic, I felt a really good energy around it, because people are passionate about it and really cared about it. I think that’s the first step.”
All of the students who attended the conference put impressive amounts of effort into their preparation and contribution. Su and Katechia created a research paper that was 33 pages long. Mr. Wolthstal praised them for their presentation. “It was gratifying, after the amount of work we put into it,” said Katechia. “We met every week on Tuesday night during study hours for the whole winter term.”
Though aimed towards raising awareness among the younger generation, the conference proved relevant to all: “It is a meaningful conference on a real-world issue,” said Mr. Davidson. “It has been a good experience for students who have participated and it is important for our school to take this issue seriously.” About her experience, Su said, “I think they saw the hope in our young generation. It was an opportunity for students from different countries to exchange ideas and see different perspectives.” Katechia agreed, stating, “It was an enriching experience, and I would definitely recommend other Choate students seize this rare opportunity.”
Interested students can apply to attend the conference next year through application and interview with Mr. Davidson. Across schools, across nations, and across the globe, nuclear disarmament is an issue that affects and connects all people.
