Sico van der Meer discusses his role at the Clingendael Institute, where he focused on nuclear policy at the behest of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He reflects on the impact of nuclear weapons in global politics and the Netherlands' limited, specialized civil society dedicated to nuclear issues. Van der Meer addresses missed disarmament opportunities post-Cold War, due to lack of urgency and funding, and emphasizes the need for civil society’s role in public awareness and nuanced policy discussions, pointing to initiatives like the TPNW as examples of impactful activism.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.