Every healthy society needs wise elders to guide and inspire. In times of rapid change, when there is social turbulence and passions run deep, their examples provide calm, clarity, and inspiration. GSI’s founder Senator Alan Cranston was such a person, and this year’s recipient of the Alan Cranston Peace Award, Dr. William Perry, 19th Secretary of Defense of the United States, is also such an inspiring person. We are living in the shadow of war and frayed social cohesion. Although we have a great deal to report regarding the current Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty taking place at the United Nations and other important events in which GSI is deeply engaged, we felt it the right time to highlight the guidance, insights, and value of examples of virtue in action.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Granoff

President, Global Security Institute

Dr. William J Perry Honored With the Alan Cranston Peace Award by the Global Security Institute

Presentation of Award and Book "The Sovereignty Revolution" to Dr. Perry by Kim Cranston, Chair of GSI, and Jonathan Granoff.

In May, a conference on Rethinking National and Global Security took place at Stanford University, hosted by its Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and co-sponsored by the Global Security Institute. The event was chaired by CISAC Senior Fellow and distinguished scholar Dr. Scott Sagan.

In the afternoon, at a session where COVID precautions had kept the audience small, the Alan Cranston Peace Award was given to Dr. William Perry along with Sen. Cranston’s prescient book "The Sovereignty Revolution" after Dr. Perry's in-depth keynote speech on the present world situation, titled "Reducing Nuclear Danger." A panel of experts responded to his talk, followed by a robust Q&A from the audience. The panelists included: Gov. Jerry Brown, Dr. Martin Hellman, Dr. Scott Sagan, and Ambassador Rose Gottemoeller.

I did my best to speak from my heart and direct experience working with Dr. Perry, who exemplified the virtues that Senator Cranston exhibited — humility, diligence, insight, wisdom, and inspiring leadership. I urge your attention to Dr. Perry's substantive website, The William J. Perry Project, and a substantive dialogue with him before the International Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Senator Cranston's influence on members of the US Senate is evident in this special compilation of Memorial Tributes and Addresses, held in the Senate and House of Representatives in 2001.

We note the two presentations in this compilation (pages 18 and 61) by then-Senator Joe Biden in both the Senate event and a Memorial Service at Grace Cathedral, incorporated in the Senate Record. These testimonials, along with those of many other Senators, and the Cranston family, express profound gratitude for the service and character of Senator Alan Cranston. 

Previous recipients of The Peace Award include Hon. Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of House U.S. Congress), CNN Founder and Philanthropist Ted Turner, and Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala (former United Nations Under-Secretary-General). The award was signed by GSI Advisory Board Members Jane Goodall, and President Mikhail Gorbachev, and GSI’s Chairman Kim Cranston. All the distinguished participants in the conference added their signatures on its back.

On the morning of the conference, Dr. Sagan moderated a robust discussion of experts worthy of our attention. Two excellent articles have been written arising from the deliberations:

The Atlantic

What if Russia Uses Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine?

By Eric Schlosser

For the past few months, President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have been ominously threatening to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine. A look at the grim scenarios—and the U.S. playbook for each.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Has the Russia-Ukraine War Blown up the Global Nuclear Order?

By Lauren Sukin

The Russian nuclear saber-rattling that has accompanied the invasion of Ukraine represents a level of nuclear risk unprecedented since the end of the Cold War. 

Dr. Martin Hellman, one of the panelists and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Nuclear Risk Analysis, Federation of American Scientists, has also published this excellent paper: "Rethinking National Security."

Read Alan Cranston's Book: "The Sovereignty Revolution"

Praise for the book:

"Alan Cranston's incisive essay covers international problems as wide ranging as nuclear proliferation, terrorism, climate change and genocide. It is his assessment that no nation can solve these problems on its own, rather they have to work through multilateral institutions and international law. This analysis―by the former U.S. Senator and world statesman―provides clarity on problems that have become important after 9/11, and will remain important in our quest for world peace." ― President Jimmy Carter

"Senator Alan Cranston was a passionate public servant, a true citizen of the world, and an inspirational force for peace. The Sovereignty Revolution, finished shortly before his death, gives voice to his visionary understanding of how to create a world with more friends and fewer terrorists. The Senator argues that we must revise our notions of sovereignty if we are to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. While we mourn his loss, how fortunate we are to have this book―a gift of his wisdom reflecting the lessons of a lifetime." ― President Bill Clinton

"Focusing on the concept of national sovereignty and its fluctuating definition throughout the centuries, Alan Cranston proceeds to outline the historical and philosophical bases for a renewed vision of human cooperation. This slim but powerful volume is a testament not only to Senator Cranston's impassioned labor as a scholar and statesman, but to his hopes, shared by many at the beginning of the twenty-first century, for a more rational and ethical world order." — President Oscar Arias Sánchez ― Former President of Costa Rica and Winner of The Nobel Peace Prize in 1987

"Alan Cranston's insights are the result of a lifetime of study and passionate struggle for a safer world. He was focused, tenacious, and a champion for human rights. In this final essay, he makes an enormous contribution to current foreign policy debates." — Nancy Pelosi ― Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives

"The Sovereignty Revolution is the last testament of a senior U.S. statesman on the need for rethinking the international rules and organizations we have set up for our mutual security." — Scott D. Sagan, Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Professor of Political Science ― Stanford University

Here is an example of the outstanding work Voices does: