Reaching Critical Will E-News, March 2026

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Ellen Thomas

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Mar 19, 2026, 10:16:21 AMMar 19
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Reaching Critical Will E-News, March 2026
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E-News, March 2026
It’s been another devastating month, with Israel and the United States (US) launching yet another illegal war of aggression against Iran even as they continue the genocide of Palestinians, expand the occupation of Lebanon, and conduct other attacks across the region. Most US allies have indicated support for the war but have stopped short of getting directly involved. The impacts of the war have been devastating for Iranians and others in the region, as well as civilians around the world facing rising costs of food and fuel. Meanwhile, the US is also strangling Cuba and threatening to take it over, with the US President claiming he can do whatever he wants. This attitude seems to have emboldened others, with governments in Europe announcing expansion of nuclear arsenals and cooperation arrangements, Canada and India engaging in a new nuclear deal decades after the first one resulted in India’s acquisition of the bomb, and other violations of international law and non-proliferation standards. All who want to stand up for human rights, justice, and the rule of law must work together, across borders and issues, to build a new path forward. The latest edition of our E-News offers some examples and hopes to inspire new actions.
 
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In this edition:

Upcoming Disarmament Meetings
Recently Concluded Disarmament Meetings
Top Stories: Gender and Disarmament Database: Recommendation of the Month
Upcoming Events
Featured News
Recommended Resources
 


On 2–6 March 2026, delegations met in Geneva for another session of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS). After four sessions held in 2024 and 2025, this session marked the beginning of the end of the Group’s three-year mandate. During the week, the GGE discussed the rolling draft text of elements for a possible instrument or other measures on LAWS, circulated by the Chair in December 2025. When the week started, there were over 40 states that had expressed their support for moving to negotiations on the basis of the “rolling text;” by the end of the week, this number increased to over 70, after more states, including a group of African states, joined this call. It’s clear that most states are ready to take the next step. This is important not only because the upcoming Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in November must decide upon next steps, but also because of all the increasing harm being caused by automated violence worldwide, which requires urgent action. 

Read Reaching Critical Will’s report >>

Stop Arming Israel

Even as it engages in war on Iran and Lebanon, Israel continues its genocide in Gaza and expansion of unlawful settlement in the West Bank. In the West Bank, Israel approved a plan to begin registering West Bank land as “state property” for the first time since 1967. Experts have warned that this is tantamount to “de facto annexation.” In Gaza, it continues airstrikes and other killings of Palestinian civilians.

Amidst this reality, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially signed onto President Trump’s “Board of Peace” on 11 February 2026. As part of the Board’s plans, The Guardian reported that Trump is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres. It also reported that progress in the “Gaza peace plan” has stalled over disagreements on how Hamas should be disarmed, with Israel threatening to go back to full-scale war if the condition is not carried out quickly. Hamas has said it will not unilaterally disarm. On 19 February, the “Board of Peace” met for the first time in Washington, D.C. At the occasion, Trump vowed $10 billion to the Board. Meanwhile, the US currently owes $2.196 billion to the United Nation’s regular operating budget. The UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned the UN faces “imminent financial collapse” unless member states reform funding rules or pay outstanding dues.

Declassified UK published a report that revealed that more than 2,000 United Kingdom passport holders were serving in the Israel Defense Forces during the war on the Gaza Strip. The report found more than 50,000 Israeli soldiers held at least one other nationality, with the largest groups from the United States, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. Additionally, a new study published in The Lancet estimates more than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip—at least 25,000 more than figures released by local authorities at the time—while confirming that Gaza health officials accurately reported the share of women, children, and elderly among the dead.

Amidst this horror, there have been some positive developments in the resistance to genocide globally. In the US, protests at Brooklyn Navy Yard forced eviction of one of the companies supplying Israel and ICE. In the UK, the ban on Palestine Action has been ruled unlawful. In Canada, Scotiabank announced it is divesting from Elbit Systems. The Canadian Day of Action organised by Arms Embargo Now on 17 February 2026 saw more than 50 communities take action to demand that the government stop Canadian weapons from fueling war crimes. Actions were covered in local media from Toronto to Yellowknife, from Victoria and Maple Ridge to Owen Sound. Across the country, constituents rallied to push their Members of Parliament (MPs) to vote YES on the No More Loopholes Act. Several groups reported that MPs shuttered their doors ahead of protests, closing their offices down to avoid having to listen to their constituents. A number of organizers even reported rows of police cars on site to greet them instead of their elected representatives. Arms Embargo Now noted that while this is shameful behaviour on the part of MPs, it’s also a sign that the campaign is getting their attention and having an impact. Ultimately, however, the bill was voted down, meaning the interests of the arms industry have been prioritized over human rights—but activist have pledged to continue the struggle. (Photo credit: ArmsEmbargoNow.org)


Stop the War on Iran

On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched yet another illegal war on Iran. Reaching Critical Will immediately condemned these attacks and called on all countries of the world to refuse to participate and to help bring about its end, and hold the perpetrators to account for their egregious violations of international law.

Since the war began, Israel and the US militaries have committed numerous war crimes, including targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. The bombing of oil infrastructure has released toxic fumes and rain over Tehran and other populated areas. The World Health Organization said it is preparing for a nuclear catastrophe due to US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, warning of possible radioactive contamination. In the meantime, thousands of civilians have already been killed across the region, and many more have been displaced, particularly in Lebanon where Israel is unlawfully expanding its occupation

The cost of the war in terms of lives lost, environmental damage, and burden on US taxpayers—the majority of whom do not support this war—will be devastating and long-lasting. So far, the US has reportedly spent about 12 billion USD on its illegal war of choice; experts say it’s costing between 1–2 billion USD a day. At this rate, the war could cost trillions and take generations to pay off. And in the meantime, costs for fuel, food, and more are spiraling out of control around the world.

As it sinks deeper into the quagmire it created, the Trump regime is having a temper tantrum at its allies, including North Atlantic Treaty Organization members and Australia, Japan, and Republic of Korea, for not giving the United States the level of military assistance it is demanding. Even those governments which offered initial support for the war are apparently reluctant to get involved in another armed conflict in the region provoked by the US and Israel without cause and with no clear way out.

In the meantime, weapon producing companies are profiting wildly. Major US and Israeli arms manufacturers have committed to “quadruple production,” resulting in rising stocks, while tech firms are also reaping financial rewards. These companies, Iran warned, have been listed as potential targets as the war continues.

The reckless, unlawful war must end now. Reaching Critical Will reiterates its call on the US and Israel to immediately halt their attacks on Iran, for Israel to end its strikes against all other countries in the region and its genocide of Palestinians, and for the US to draw down its forces and close its military bases in the region. We also call on all other states to: 

  • Speak out against military action against Iran and support diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation of violence;
  • Refuse to provide any financial, material, or logistical support for any attacks on Iran;
  • Hold Israel and the United States to account for their unlawful attacks;
  • Call on Israel, Iran, and the United States to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to join or remain in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and on Israel and the US to eliminate their nuclear weapon programmes;
  • Renounce nuclear deterrence and nuclear proliferation, and acknowledge that any country that relies on humanity-ending weapons in their security doctrines only makes the world less safe; and
  • Reduce military spending and engage in diplomacy for global disarmament and demilitarisation.

In addition, Generation Zero Nukes has launched a petition calling on the European Council to take urgent diplomatic leadership to prevent further escalation in the Middle East. The petition highlights Spain’s principled stance in defending international law and rejecting military escalation, and urges the European Union to follow suit. With tensions rising and nuclear‑armed states increasingly entangled, Europe cannot remain a spectator. 

(Image credit: Roger Peet | Justseeds)


Europe, Canada, and India are Undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime 

In February 2026, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Poland should begin working toward developing nuclear weapons and base its security strategy on “nuclear potential,” arguing that Russia’s aggression and waning trust in US security guarantees require stronger “deterrence”. On 2 March 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he will increase France’s nuclear stockpile and work with other countries on an “advanced deterrence strategy,” including Poland as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, and Denmark. “The next 50 years will be an era of nuclear weapons," proclaimed Macron. In a pre-speech document released to the press, France indicated that a nuclear strike “could be carried out as a warning,” and that France would no longer be disclosing details about its nuclear arsenal.

In addition, France and Germany jointly declared that they would increase their military cooperation, including “German conventional participation in French nuclear exercises and joint visits to strategic sites” and “consultations regarding the appropriate mix of conventional, missile defence and French nuclear capabilities.” As the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) points out, the declaration reiterates North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) language on nuclear weapons and commitments to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but it does not commit France and Germany to the aim of nuclear disarmament. ICAN’s Executive Director Melissa Parke said, “This announcement from French President Macron is a direct threat to the peace and security of the region, and the world. France already spent $6 billion on its nuclear weapons in 2024 and it is unclear how much this unexpected increase will add to that exorbitant sum. This is not progress, it’s a nuclear arms race that no one can afford.”

The same day, Canada announced it will supply nuclear-armed India with uranium. The ten-year deal comes as India is accelerating its plans to expand nuclear power. This kind of nuclear cooperation with a non-NPT state party, which operates without full scope safeguards under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), raises serious concerns about Canada’s compliance with the NPT and global non-proliferation standards. It was Canadian reactors, given to India for “peaceful uses” in the 1970s, that India used to develop nuclear weapons. This led to a suspension of nuclear cooperation between the two countries, which is now being resumed. 

As Nazia Sheikh, a researcher with the Centre for International Strategic Studies points out, importing uranium from Canada would allow India to develop and exploit its domestic uranium deposits for the production of nuclear weapons. “Such agreements would jeopardise international efforts to revitalize arms-control accords at a time when nuclear politics are being reshaped by great-power rivalry,” warns Sheikh, noting, “When great powers prioritize strategic partnerships and financial benefits ahead of long-standing arms control obligations, the legitimacy and universality of the international non-proliferation framework are also compromised.”

These new partnerships of nuclear cooperation and expansion within Europe and between Canada and India are arguably in violation of the NPT’s rules and principles. Both arrangements increase regional and global instability and discrimination, and incentivise further nuclear proliferation at a time when disarmament, demilitarisation, and denuclearisation is absolutely imperative. Reaching Critical Will calls on all parties involved to step back from the brink, recommit to their obligations under the NPT, and join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPWN) to end the reign of terror of the nuclear era forever.

(Photo credit: Kilian Karger | Unsplash)


Artificial Intelligence is Being Integrated Into the War Machine

Many governments are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in weapon and targeting systems. But how and for what purposes as recently become part of public debate with the fight between Anthropic and the Trump regime.

The United States’ so-called Department of War pressured the company Anthropic to adjust the terms of use of its AI model, Claude, which the US has already integrated into its military systems. The company prohibits its use for mass domestic surveillance and for fully autonomous weapons operating without human oversight. Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei stated that “frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons” and that the oversight mechanisms needed to protect civilian lives and military personnel “don’t exist today”. In retaliation for Anthropic’s unwillingness to change its rules, the US government designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk”. Just a few hours after this, OpenAI announced that it had reached an agreement with the Department of War for the use of its AI models. Despite this dispute, the US military continued to use Claude in its war on Iran and will reportedly continue to be used until is phased out. A few weeks earlier, the Wall Street Journal also reported that the same system had been used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela. 

Google and Open AI workers signed a letter expressing hope that their leaders “will put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War's current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.” Nicole Van Rooijen, Executive Director of Stop Killer Robots, stated, “The standards Anthropic has chosen to maintain are a bare minimum of responsible conduct, not cause for celebration. And yet even those basic standards are already under pressure from the most powerful military in the world.” She emphasised, “This moment demands political and moral leadership of the highest order. States must come to the table this year not just to talk, but to act. The time for kicking the can down the road has passed, the moment has arrived and what is needed now is new law.”

In recent months, tech companies have been increasingly marketing their wares to militaries and law enforcement. Anduril and Open AI announced a partnership to provide “AI solutions to national security missions.” At the end of last year, Anduril signed a $642 million contract to produce uncrewed aircraft systems to the US Navy. SpaceX is competing in a contest to produce voice-controlled autonomous drone swarming tech for the US military. Smack Technologies, a US startup, announced a $32 million funding round to develop AI models for planning and executing military operations. The Pentagon awarded Scale AI a $32 million contract for the US Air Force’s E-4C nuclear command-and-control “Doomsday” aircraft. (Meanwhile, a new study by King’s College London revealed that AI models used for a simulated war game escalated conflicts by threatening nuclear strikes in 95 per cent of scenarios.)

Some companies are trying to deny their involvement in state violence. Microsoft said it does not allow its technology “to be used for the mass surveillance of civilians, and we do not believe ICE is engaged in such activity.” However, recently leaked documents show that ICE has tripled the data it stores using Microsoft cloud technology as its surveillance capabilities, including of US citizens, has dramatically increased. It is also well-known that Microsoft, along with Google, Palantir, and other companies have had their products used for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians as well as ICE’s mass detention and deportation activities.

As a member of Stop Killer Robots and as a project dedicated to disarmament, demilitarisation, human rights, justice, and ecological wellbeing, Reaching Critical Will urges all companies to end their contracts with militaries, police, and border and immigration enforcement agencies, and for all governments to stop integrating AI into their militaries and work within the UN system to prohibit autonomous weapon systems.

(Photo credit: Igor Omilaev | Unsplash)


Day of Action to Close Military Bases

On 21–23 February 2026, people and groups around the world took action in their communities to call for the closure of all military bases as part of the Global Days of Action to Close Bases. Over 50 events took place in Australia, Burundi, Cameroon, Denmark, DRC, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mauritius, Norway, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, United States, Venezuela, and Wales. World BEYOND War, who initiated the Days of Action, published a report on Canadian foreign bases, did webinars on bases in Latin America, released statements on plans for a US base in Gaza, and previewed the coming actions with a walk on a frozen lake in Wisconsin, U.S.


Our recommendation of the month is “Autonomous Weapons and Patriarchy” by Ray Acheson. The paper unpacks the concepts of patriarchy and militarised masculinities and explains how these are relevant for an analysis of autonomous weapon systems. It outlines how the operation of weapons programmed to target and kill based on pre-programmed algorithms against people who are racialised, gendered, and otherwise categorised, will result in the violation of human rights and dignity. Overall, it argues the importance of confronting autonomous weapons not just as material technologies that need to be prohibited, but as manifestations of the broader policies and structures of violence that perpetuate an increasing abstraction of violence and devaluation of human life. The publication is also available in Spanish.

The Gender and Disarmament Database, created and maintained by Reaching Critical Will, features a wide range of resources such as reports, articles, books and book chapters, policy documents, podcasts, legislation, and UN documents. The database allows the exploration of relevant resources based on their references to distinctive gender aspects in disarmament, such as gender-based violence, gender norms, or gender diversity, and different related topics or types of weapon systems. It currently contains more than 800 resources. Suggestions of new additions can be sent to disarm[at]WILPF[dot]com.

Enforcing Ecocide: The Planetary Costs of Policing and Militarization
24 March 2026 | Online

Nuclear Deterrence and the Eurobomb: the Disarmament Community’s Response
26 March 2026 | Online

Global Days of Action on Military Spending
10 April–9 May 2026 | Global

Authoritarianism and Indigenous Resistance: Climate Change, Militarism, and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence
14 April 2026 | Online

UNIDIR’s Cyber Stability Conference
4–5 May 2026 | Geneva and Online


  • West and Central African states meet to strengthen the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). In January, 19 countries met in Accra, Ghana, to take stock of the work achieved so far under the TPNW and advanced the process of further states joining the treaty. The meeting also aimed to raise awareness about the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and about the TPNW itself, its importance for African States, and its place in the global and regional peace and security architecture.
     
  • Algeria begins partial clean-up operations of French nuclear test sites. has The clean-up has begun at the test site “Beryl,” the location of “Taourirt Tan Afla en Ecker” in the province of Tamanrasset, in the far south. The region is affected by radioactive materials such as Cesium-137 and plutonium. This is the first time such a large-scale operation has been carried out. Waste has reportedly started to be collected, then it will be isolated in concrete containers and placed in designated locations at a later stage.
     
  • Russia says it will observe New START limits if the United States does. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told parliament that it will continue adhering to the warhead limits of the now-expired New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty as long as the United States also abides by the old terms.  
     
  • Atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima passes away. Shigeaki Mori, who was eight years old when the US dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima, wrote a book in 2008 about US prisoners of war who were killed by the bombing.
     
  • Canada announces new “Defence Industrial Strategy” to increase weapon manufacturing. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he intends to build out Canada’s manufacturing base for weapons production to become less reliant on imports, and to increase Canada’s weapon exports by 50 per cent. Critics have warned this will risk embedding Canada’s economy in war profiteering and that it will depend on increasingly selling weapons that fuel war, violence, and human rights abuses at a time when political leaders and citizens are trying to rein in Canada’s exports that are already fuelling war crimes and genocide.
     
  • India and France sign major arms deal. India has placed a 39 billion USD order for 114 French Rafale fighter jets—one of its largest-ever military procurements—as part of an air force modernisation drive to upgrade its air combat fleet and deepen military ties with France and other Western arms suppliers.
     
  • Global arms flows jump nearly 10 per cent. According to new data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), “The volume of major arms transferred between states increased by 9.2 per cent between 2016–20 and 2021–25. States in Europe more than trebled their arms imports, making it the biggest recipient region. Total exports by the United States, the world’s largest supplier of arms, increased by 27 per cent. This included a 217 per cent increase in US arms exports to Europe.”
     
  • US announces more missile deployments to Philippines. In a joint statement, the US and Philippine governments announced plans for expanded military cooperation, including joint military exercises, US support to modernise the Philippine military, and intentions “to increase deployments of U.S. cutting-edge missile and unmanned systems to the Philippines.” As Drop Site News points out, the statement “comes amid escalating naval confrontations between Chinese and Philippine naval vessels in disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea and a broader U.S. military buildup in the region.”
     
  • Tech startup seeks to re-write military industry code with AI. Code Metal has raised millions in venture capital to use AI to write code for use in military systems. Its customers include L3Harris, RTX (formerly Raytheon), and the US Air Force. As WIRED notes, “One of the questions that persists about AI-assisted code, though, is whether the output is any good—and what the consequences might be if it’s not.”
     
  • US ambassador scorns the UN.At the Munich Security Conference, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz called the United Nations a “failed 80-year relic” and said the US is “returning the world from the brink” by reforming multilateralism through direct deals. He presented a “Make the UN Great Again” cap to European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
     
  • Croatia becomes mine-free after 30 years. In early March, Croatia announced it has fulfilled its mine clearance obligation in accordance with the Mine Ban Treaty. In over 30 years, almost 107,000 landmines and 470,000 unexploded ordnances have been found and destroyed.

Nick Turse, “Trump’s War on Iran Could Cost Trillions,” The Intercept, 17 March 2026 

Sean Howard and Tammy Bernasky, “Importing Disability Rights into the Arms Trade Treaty,” Humanitarian Disarmament, 14 March 2026

Hanna Duggal and Mohamed A. Hussein, “Which US and Israeli companies are profiting from the Iran war?Al Jazeera, 9 March 2026

Janet Abou-Elias and William D. Hartung, “The Brave New War Machine,” TomDispatch, 8 March 2026

CEOBS Team, “Three days of Operation Epic Fury: a rapid overview of environmental harm in Iran and the region,” Conflict and Environment Observatory, March 2026

Daniel Ellsberg, Truth and Consequence: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope, Bloomsbury, March 2026

Linda Pentz Gunter, No To Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War, Pluto Press, March 2026

M.V. Ramana, “The Innate and Inseparable Ties Between Nuclear Weapons and Energy,” CounterPunch, 24 February 2026

Kelsey Davenport, “Is Trump Jeopardizing Nonproliferation Efforts to Get A Nuclear Cooperation Deal with Saudi Arabia? A Report To Congress Suggests He Is,” Arms Control Association Issue Briefs 18(2), 19 February 2026

Will Knight, “This Defense Company Made AI Agents That Blow Things Up,” WIRED, 18 February 2026

Carlos Umaña, “España en Contra de las Armas Nucleares,” Generation Zero Nukes, 18 February 2026

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era, Australia’s Extraterritorial Obligations in the Pacific in the Context of AUKUS, Shadow Report to the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, 28 January 2026

Elke Schwarz, “Tech, Venture Capital and the Hype of War,” Tech Policy Press, 22 January 2026

Costs of War Project, “Consuming War: How Pop Culture Captures Our Attention and Fuels Forever Wars,” The Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Brown University

We urgently need your support to sustain our work this year and beyond. Please consider making a donation to Reaching Critical Will.


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