NEWS: Presenting our 2012 Executive Board

As GW GZ develops its programming for spring, two new faces emerge onto the GZ scene. Together with Christina and Mariah, Armando and Rosie make up the 2012 executive board. Planned for this semester:

~Thirsty Thursday Thurston Pancakes

~Movie Showing with Pizza

~North Korea Event

~Cupcake Bombs

Below you will find mini profiles on GW GZ’s Executive Board members.

Christina Walters

President & Founder

Christina is currently a Senior in the Elliott School of International Affairs studying Asian Studies with minors in Chinese and Criminal Justice. Christina has actively pursued her passions by studying abroad in South Korea and Taiwan, as well as working as a Federal Investigative Intern for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. When Christina is off work, she devotes her time equally between her Sorority, Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc., The Multicultural Greek Council Executive Board, and Global Zero. Christina learned about Global Zero shortly before she participated in their two-week summer leadership program during which she attended policy briefings on nuclear policy. Since then, Christina has met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, attended GZ | DC 2011 & the Global Zero London Summit, and hosted a Nuclear Terrorism talk at the George Washington University. As president she hopes to continue providing great programming, while illustrating the important roles students play in working towards Global Zero.

Mariah Helgeson

Executive Vice President & Founder

Mariah is currently a Senior at GW majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict & Security and the Middle East and a Minor in English. She is passionate about conflict resolution and youth engagement in the peace process through community building. She has interned with the Peacebuilding & Development Institute, and with the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. Mariah is the Founder and Director of the Speaking Across the Divide project, which she began working on in April, 2010. The project aims to design and market a website to facilitate youth activism and dialogue between Iranian and American students. Mariah is excited about connecting her passion for international collaboration with the GZ movement. She found about about Global Zero through her research for the debate team. Mariah is particularly excited about working on a Middle East forum discussing avenues to achieve Global Zero. In her spare time, Mariah likes to read poetry on the steps of the Lincoln memorial (her favorite is the Sufi poet Rumi), experiment with vegetarian cooking and play for the GW Quidditch team. She is excited about GWGZ and hopes you are too!

Armando Hererra

Executive Vice President At Large

Originally from Venezuela, Armando Herrera is a transfer Junior at The Elliot School of International Affairs with a concentration in Latin America at The George Washington University. His interest in the Global Zero movement started when he found out about his college’s chapter in the Student Organization Fair. Last October he had the opportunity attend the Global Zero Summit in Los Angeles, California where he met numerous dignitaries that are working along Global Zero to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. Since then, he has been committed to strengthening The Gorge Washington chapter’s presence on campus, by recruiting and participating in the various student organization events.  He plans to continue researching and exploring the legal and social spectrum of nonproliferation issues throughout his academic career.

In addition to Global Zero, Armando is also part of Venezuelan Perspective, a Venezuelan student organization in GW in which students have the opportunity to discuss any issues happening in Venezuela and the rest of the region

Rosie

Executive Vice President At Large

Bio forthcoming

Written by Christina W.

GW GZ Storms Yale

GW GZ's president, vice president, and student leaders will be joining students from around the world for Global Zero's International Summit at Yale from Feb 18th through the 19th.

The Global Zero Student Summit at Yale from Global Zero on Vimeo.

To prepare for our trip GW GZ will be meeting Jan 25th at 7pm (location TBD) to discuss logistics, how you can go for free/reduced cost, and how to get involved with GW GZ! To attend please click here.

Confirmed Speakers:

Dr. Hanz Blix

Valerie Plame Wilson

•Dr. Hans Blix, Fmr. Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Fmr. Head of the UN Monitoring, Verification & Inspection Commission 

•Gen. (Ret.) John 'Jack' Sheehan, Fmr. Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Command

 •Amb. Richard Burt, Fmr. US Chief Negotiator, Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START)

•Ms. Valerie Plame Wilson, Fmr. US CIA Operations Officer
•Dr. Lawrence L. Korb, Fmr. US Assistant Secretary of Defense

•Amb. Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Fmr. Iranian Amb. to Germany and Fmr. Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Security Council

•Amb. Steven Pifer, Director, Brookings Arms Control Initiative, Fmr. US Amb. to Ukraine

•Mr. Jonathan Schell, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization

Amb. Steven Pifer

Topics:

Getting to multilateral Negotiations

Nuclear Weapons and the Presidential Elections Tactical Nuclear Weapons: NATO, Russia, nd the US Building the Public Movement 

Agenda:

February 18th, 2012

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Registration

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Opening Session

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM Session 1

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Session 2

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch (provided)

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Session 3

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Session 4

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Closing Session

February 19th, 2012

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Opening Session

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM Session 1

11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Speaker

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Closing Session

Dr. Lawrence L. Korb

Written By Christina Walters

CHECK GW GZ out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GW-Global-Zero/143493572356305 http://gwglobalzero.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/gwglobalzero http://globalzero.org/

“Preventing Nuclear Terrorism: International Law and Policy Challenges”

GW Global Zero and the GW Roosevelt Institute will have the honor of hosting Dr. Emma Belcher, a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, for a special talk on Nuclear Terrorism. Dr. Belcher will discuss the relationship between nuclear terrorism and international law, and the important policy challenges it poses. Whether you are interested in nuclear policy, international law, or terrorism, this event will provide you with important information on evaluating one of the greatest security threats the world faces today: 

Nuclear Terrorism.

When: Friday, April 1st 12-2pm

Where: Room 505, Elliott School of International Affairs (1957 E St. N.W.) 

Additional Information on Dr. Belcher:

Dr. Belcher has most recently served as a research fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was a policy adviser to the Australian prime minister and cabinet on international and national security and a public affairs officer at the Embassy of Australia in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament; export controls; WMD terrorism; and the intersection between international relations and international law.
Publications: *A Tighter Net: Strengthening the Proliferation Security Initiative | *Nuclear Deal With Iran All for Show | *Iran's Nuclear Program beyond Bushehr

Please RSVP at: http://bit.ly/ij8tXf

Send any and all questions to gwu@globalzero.org

Sponsored by the Nuclear Policy Talks, GW Global Zero, and the GW Roosevelt Institute

~New Start~

Spring semester has arrived and GW Global Zero is off to an amazing start~

Christina Walters & Mariah Helgeson
Co-Presidents hard at work

GW GZ Tabling Set Up

On January 25th Mariah Helgeson and Chirstina Walters tabled for Global Zero, which increased support for Global Zero and our mission: working towards the phased & verified elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. Students and faculty joined the 391,000 plus individuals who have already signed onto the Global Zero Declaration, and you can too!

GIM

(General Interest Meeting)

Welcome GW GZ GIM

GW Global Zero's folders

Christina Walters and Kaitlyn Kerr
setting up for GW GZ's GIM

Later that same day, GW Global Zero hosted its first general interest meeting in The George Washington University's Marvin Center. GW Global Zero unveiled its new executive board and discussed the exciting upcoming events for Spring 2011.  


In recognition of her hard work, GW Global Zero would like to give special thanks to its newest addition, Kaitlyn Kerr. She has helped GW Global Zero move forward with her optimism and great ideas, and GW Global Zero couldn't be happier that she's joined its team!






Global Zero Spring 2011 Events

This past saturday, January 29th, GW GZ hosted a Dr. Strangelove showing with FREE pizza, brownies, and refreshments! We were joined by a GZ Veteran from Lincoln, Nebraska: Ms. Jessie Cleveland. The movie is a great depiction on what could--although within the movie a bit more dramatically done--occur if the wrong person got their hands on nuclear weaponry. 


This semester GW GZ will also be hosting a slew of additional events on and off campus! Here's our temporary schedule for Spring 2011:

*GBM: Feb 12 Nuclear Weapons 101: Disarmament, Verification, & Arms Control Policy

GBM: Feb 26 Iran: Options for nuclear policy in the Gulf Region (Middle East Security)

            

Speaker: March 1st GW Global Zero will be hosting Rose Gottemoeller, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, who will be coming to talk about New START!

GBM: March 5^th U.S.-Russia Nuclear Relationship 

Panel: North Korea's Nuclear Policy 

GBM: March 26^th China-Taiwan: Security and Nukes

GBM: April 2^nd Nuclear Terrorism: Myths and Reality

Conference: April 8-10 *Restricted to GW GZ members*-More information given out at GBMs.

GBM: April 16^th The Economic Impact of Armament

Fundraiser: Late April Bike Competition          

(GBM: Genearl Body Meeting-open to all GW students who would like to learn more about nuclear weapons and policies.)


To follow our events and learn more information please click here!

Written by Christina Walters, Co-President

Call to Action Aftermath

The George Washington University's Global Zero Chapter successfully held their New START ratification tabling event November 11th, 2010! With the help of Mariah Helgeson, Kaitlyn Kerr, and Christina Walters, GW Global Zero was able to raise awareness about New START as well as increase  awareness of Global Zero on GW's campus.

Our wonderful E-board & members tabling for New START 

and selling hot cocoa~ 

Christina Walters: VP Media, Logistics, and Fundraising

Mariah Helgeson: VP of Outreach and Development
Peace Sign: GZ's end goal~

Mariah Helgeson and Christina Walters
Selling Hot Cocoa with whip cream
& Chocolate Shavings

Kaitlyn Kerr & Christina Walters
Check out our 30 year action plan

Although our New START tabling event is over, that doesn't stop our campaign for New START!~ At our "General Interest Meeting" this Sunday at 6:30-7:30pm in Marvin Center Room 409, we will be providing more information on how to ensure that the senate approves New START for ratification! Also, GW GZ will be lobbying on Capitol Hill this Friday! If you're interested please email gwglobalzero@gmail.com!

Thanks to all those that came out, and can't wait to see everyone at our GIM!

-GWGZ

Written by: Christina Walters

~Call For a Safer World~

The George Washington University's Global Zero chapter will be tabling (11/11) in order to get GWU's students in touch with their Senators about New START. 

So, what is New START?  Amb. Richard Burt, START 1 chief negotiator and Global Zero US Chair, said, “The new START treaty signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev this morning in Prague – cutting their strategic nuclear arsenals by a third each – is the first significant arms reduction treaty in nearly two decades and a crucial step toward the two Presidents’ shared goal of global zero: a world without nuclear weapons.  Most importantly, at a time when the risk of nuclear terrorism is growing, the agreement recognizes the important relationship between arms reductions and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.  As an arms control negotiator who worked for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush and has been through ratification processes before, I fully expect that this Senate will continue the long-standing tradition of bi-partisan support for arms control treaties such as this which so clearly strengthens the security of the United States.”


What does New START do? New start will reinstate inspections, allowing for increased transparency, and reductions of US and Russia's nuclear arsenals.


Who's for New START? Republicans (Henry Kissinger, Collin Powell, etc.,) Democrats, students and over 70 security leaders and specialists! In order to increase awareness and move forward and ensure ratification of New START, we ask that you join GW GZ on Thursday Nov 11th, 11am-2pm at Marvin Center's H St. Terrace. 

Together we can make a difference!

For more information on New START please refer to the following links:

"U.S. Vote Could Derail Russia Ties"

http://nyti.ms/ae7mza 

"White House Pushes START Ratification Before New Congress Arrives"

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/usa/2010/usa-101105-rferl01.htm

NYTimes: "Plenty of Work for the Lame Duck: And Other Urgent

http://nyti.ms/aFmzWR 

NYTimes: Nuclear Weapons

http://nyti.ms/dqcUSQ 

http://www.globalzero.org/en/global-zero-leaders-applaud-new-start-treaty-urge-ratification

As a part of tabling GW GZ will also be selling peppermint flavored hot cocoa, free trade hot cocoa, and signature hot cocoa with whip cream/chocolate shavings and marshmallows.

Warm Hot Cocoa! MMMmmm~

Written by Christina Walters

~Raising Awareness Through Cupcakes~

GW Global Zero held their first event this past Wednesday at The George Washington University: “Cupcakes + Information Tabling.” At this event, Christina Walters and Mariah Helgeson were able to speak with many different individuals including GW students, faculty, and employees!  One of the best surprises of the event was being able to see two Global Zero leaders from Global Zero’s Washington, D.C. headquarters: Anna Azarjew and Scott Ibaraki (who were kind enough to snap the photos below!)

Cupcakes made by Christina Walters and Mariah Helgeson

A GW Employee signing the declaration

Next for GW GZ: Our first GIM October 6th (wednesday) at 7:30pm at The Hall of Government room 102.