Dr Becky Alexis-Martin is a pacifist academic at the University of Bradford. Her work explores nuclear warfare, social justice, humanitarian and environmental issues, and human rights. Her expertise is focused on nuclear geographies and decolonising disarmament policy in the Pacific. She has authored over sixty-five news articles, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles. Her first book, “Disarming Doomsday: The Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons Since Hiroshima”, critically considers the social, cultural, ​and spatial harms perpetuated by nuclear warfare and was the recipient of the 2020 L.H.M. Ling Outstanding

Dr. Becky Alexis Martin explains how geographers identified isolated spaces for nuclear testing, often disregarding the presence of indigenous communities.

Dr. Martin also delves into the geotechnologies used in nuclear warfare, highlighting the military origins of technologies like GPS and satellite imaging. She discusses the use of cartography in public safety nuclear preparedness initiatives, pointing out how it was used to downplay the destructiveness of nuclear weapons.

The conversation also touches on the connection between Cold War nuclear strategy, game theory, and modern post-apocalyptic computer games, highlighting the tendency to abstract war to a game.

Dr. Martin emphasizes the importance of geography in understanding and addressing the impacts of nuclear weapons and the role of geographers in contributing to a nuclear-free world.

She also shares her experience as a delegate and speaker at the United Nations for the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, underscoring the significance of the treaty in promoting nuclear disarmament and supporting affected communities.

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Becky Alexis Martin

00:14 Exploring Nuclear Geographies and Decolonizing Disarmament Policy

00:27 Discussion on Dr. Martin's Book 'Disarming Doomsday'

01:07 The Role of Geography in Nuclear Warfare

03:08 Impact of Nuclear Tests on Indigenous Communities

04:23 The Role of Geotechnologies in Nuclear Warfare

05:11 The Dehumanization in Nuclear Test Locations

06:12 The Class Character of Nuclear Testing

07:32 The 2021 Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

09:47 The Role of Geotechnologies in Modern Warfare

12:01 The Use of Cartography in Masking the Destructiveness of Nuclear Weapons

18:47 The Connection Between Cold War Nuclear Strategists and Modern Computer Games

32:53 The Role of Geography in a Nuclear Free World

34:51 Dr. Martin's Experience at the United Nations

39:55 The Importance of Geography in Understanding and Resolving Conflict

46:40 Conclusion: The Future of Geography in a Nuclear Free World

Questions

1. You quote the geographer Yves Lacoste: 'Geography serves, first and foremost, to wage war', and mention the work of Halford Mackinder. How has the academic discipline of geography been used to assist in the development of nuclear weapons, particularly in relation to indigenous peoples upon whose land many nuclear tests were carried out?
2. Nuclear Geotechnologies: Geographical Information Systems (GIS), GPS, Remote Sensing, spatial modeling, laser range finding, digital mapping, satellite imaging; are the geotechnologies of nuclear warfare simply geography under another name?
3. Mythologies of Risk: How has cartography, such as public safety nuclear preparedness initiatives under the guise of 'Protect and Survive', been used to mask the destructiveness of nuclear weapons?
4. Apocotainment: You draw a connection between Cold War nuclear strategist Hermann Kahn, Game Theory, War Gaming, geotechnologies such as topographic modelling and environment generation, and the eventual production of computer games such as 'Missile Command' and modern post-apocalyptic computer games such as 'Fallout'. Would you agree with the claim that the common thread linking each of these elements together is 'Apocotainment': a tendency to abstract war to a game?

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