Alva Myrdal: A Pioneer in Nuclear Disarmament

This book is about the importance of nuclear disarmament and the work pursued by Alva Myrdal, a pioneering social activist, diplomat, cabinet minister, and disarmament negotiator. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 together with Alfonso García Robles "for their work for disarmament and nuclear and weapon-free zones". Prominent academics, politicians and practitioners have contributed reflections on Myrdal's achievements and their impact on the world today. Furthermore, a sample of Myrdal's own writings on nuclear disarmament are included, as well as significant speeches and a bibliography of her publications on nuclear matters.

Alva Myrdal was born in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1902, graduated from college in Stockholm in 1924, and continued higher education at Uppsala University in the 1930s. She was a prolific author and reformer, specializing in social affairs, women's roles and nuclear disarmament. She was Sweden's Ambassador to India in the 1950s, for Nuclear Disarmament in the 1960s and 1970s, and a member of the Cabinet 1967-1973. Her most well-known works are "The Game of Disarmament" (1976), "Nation and Family" (1941), and "Women's Two Roles" (1956, with Viola Klein). Her book "The Game of Disarmament" (1976) is a key work in disarmament.

The Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament was set up at Uppsala University in 2021 to contribute new ideas and concrete measures towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. Both editors are associated with the Centre, Professor Peter Wallensteen as a member of the board and leader of one of its working groups, and Dr. Armend Bekaj as a researcher.

• This book is relevant for students of international relations and policy-makers on issues of peace and conflict.

• It provides background documentation on the difficulties in achieving disarmament.

• It illustrates the significant role women can play to infuse new ideas into a men's world.

• It displays the importance of persistence, rationality, ingenuity and knowledge in furthering nuclear disarmament.

• It shows that Alva Myrdal's efforts can be an inspiration for new generations.

Auteur

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