Alva Myrdal: A Pioneer in Nuclear Disarmament

Peter Wallensteen is Senior Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University and Richard G. Starmann Sr. Research Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, USA. Until 2015 he directed the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). He was the first holder of the Dag Hammarskjöld Chair at Uppsala University, 1985-2012, and of the Richard G. Starmann Chair at University of Notre Dame, 2006-2018. Since 2021 he is Deputy Chair of the Alva Myrdal Center for Nuclear Disarmament, Uppsala University. In the volume Peter Wallensteen: A Pioneer in Making Peace Researchable (Springer 2021) explains his involvement in peace research, and presents ten of the major research fields he has contributed to. This includes working on the achievements of particular personalities, notably Dag Hammarskjöld, Jan Eliasson (e.g. with Isak Svensson: The Go-Between on Ambassador Jan Eliasson's mediation experiences 2016), and Nordic mediators (Fredens Diplomater, Diplomats of Peace, also with Isak Svensson, 2016). He has written chapter-length articles on Alva Myrdal (including in the Springer book above). His globally used Understanding Conflict Resolution is now in its 5thedition (2019, with editions in Arabic and Korean).Armend Bekaj, is a Researcher with the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament, Uppsala University. He combines academic and policy experience on security, peace and conflict. Apart from his work at the Centre, his academic focus has been on exploring the long-term impact of former combatants on democracy and institution-building as a result of their transformation in post-conflict politics. His PhD thesis Shaping post-conflict democracies: the political transformation of ex-combatants in Kosovo and FYR Macedonia is downloadable

“This book will benefit those interested in nuclear disarmament and feminist foreign policy, including students of International Relations and European studies, as well as policy-makers and activists looking to develop a nuanced understanding of high-level politics in the context of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear arms.” (Marzhan Nurzhan, International Affairs, Vol. 100 (1), 2024)

• Part 1. About Alva Myrdal and Disarmament.- Chapter 1. Alva Myrdal and her Role for Disarmament.- Chapter 2. In the Game of Disarmament.- Chapter 3. Alva Myrdal and disarmament in a man's world.- Chapter 4. Economy, Security and the Public: Alva Myrdal's triangular condition for international disarmament.- Chapter 5. The Disarmament Story: on Alva Myrdal's study The Game of Disarmament 1976.- Chapter 6. From nuclear option to non-nuclear promotion: the Sweden case.- Chapter 7. Solidarity Abroad: Alva Myrdal's Campaign for the Developing Nations.- Part 2. By Alva Myrdal.- Chapter 8. Stemming the Conventional Arms Race.- Chapter 9. Barring the Spread of Nuclear Weapons.- Chapter 10. Eliminating Biological and Chemical Means of Warfare.- Chapter 11. Verifying Disarmament and Internationalizing Knowledge.- Chapter 12. The need for a pledge of nuclear security.- Chapter 13. The International Control of Disarmament.- Chapter 14.  Alva Myrdal's Final Statement and Farewell Speech at UNGA.- Chapter 15. Alva Myrdal's Nobel Speech and Lecture.- Chapter 16. Comprehensive bibliography of Alva Myrdal's writings on disarmament and related issues.- Index.