“And a hard rain’s a gonna fall” (1962), Bob Dylan, Nobel Laureate, 2016, https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/hard-rains-gonna-fall/
A meeting this week—the Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War—focused on global instability, the risk of nuclear war, and the urgent need to raise public awareness. Bob Dylan wrote “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the threat of nuclear war loomed large. In July 2025, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Trinity Test (July 16, 1945), and the bombings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), the Assembly met in Chicago. The Kronos Quartet, a nonprofit that uses music as a force for social change, brought together artists from around the world to perform Dylan’s “Hard Rain” and call attention to today’s nuclear threat. The geography of nuclear weapons reflects not only their global distribution but also the legacy of testing and the increasing risk of nuclear conflagration.
Participating artists came from countries across the world—including the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Botswana, Zambia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Sweden, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. (Note: Apologies if I missed anyone!) Their voices demonstrate the global reach of music, and the collective will to confront the existential threat of nuclear war. In echoing the Laureates’ discussions, these musicians amplify Dylan’s prophetic lyrics, which remain painfully relevant. The Assembly gathers some of the world’s leading experts on nuclear weapons to serve as a “global conscience” and engage policymakers in shaping nuclear diplomacy.
Countries where artists on “Hard Rain” Kronos Quartet CD are from. Map: M. Laituri.
Nuclear testing was conducted in a number of different geographic areas: deserts, islands, above and below ground. The U.S., USSR, and China initially conducted tests in inland desert sites—Nevada, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang Province, respectively. The U.S. later used sites in the Pacific, as did France and the U.K., including the Marshall Islands, French Polynesia, and Australia. Testing continued through the 1990s until the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Although India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998 and North Korea as recently as 2017, the CTBT—despite not being ratified by eight key states and Russia’s recent withdrawal—has established broad global opposition to testing.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=929526612537805&id=100064414252801&set=a.639095264914276.
The legacy of nuclear testing has left deep scars. Pacific Islanders were displaced and their homelands rendered uninhabitable due to radiation. These harms are now compounded by climate-induced sea-level rise. In Nevada, residents “downwind” of the test site were exposed to radiation, leading to elevated cancer rates. Indigenous communities, including the Shoshone Nation, continue to raise concerns about environmental and health impacts.
Nevada Test Site and Federal Lands in Southern Nevada. ©CC BY-SA 3.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wfm_area51_map_en.png.
In response to growing nuclear fears, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to symbolize how close humanity is to catastrophe. Since 2015, the clock has hovered at three minutes to midnight or closer reflecting not only nuclear risks but also climate change and other existential dangers.
In May 2025, a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir escalated tensions with Pakistan, raising fears of nuclear conflict despite the 1988 pact prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities. India adheres to a “no first use” policy; Pakistan does not have a declared nuclear doctrine. In June 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, seeking to destroy stockpiles of enriched uranium. The U.S. soon joined the campaign, deploying bunker-buster bombs to disable Iran’s capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile capabilities continue to threaten Japan and, increasingly, the U.S.
Doomsday Clock, January 28, 2025. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2025-statement/.
Nine countries possess nuclear weapons: the U.S., Russia, China, North Korea, Pakistan, India, Israel, the United Kingdom, and France. Five nations host U.S. nuclear weapons—Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Belarus hosts Russian weapons. Additionally, 22 other countries—including Australia, Japan, Poland, and Canada—endorse the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons under NATO or allied frameworks.
Founded in 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) embodies President Eisenhower’s vision of “Atoms for Peace.” A UN-affiliated agency, the IAEA sets safety standards, fosters cooperation, and monitors nuclear activities to ensure peaceful use. Under the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), non-nuclear signatories like Iran are prohibited from developing nuclear weapons and must allow inspections. IAEA investigations have uncovered violations, prompting sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Still, the recent Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites raise significant questions about international law, environmental risk, and global stability.
Operation Midnight Hammer – U.S. Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_Midnight_Hammer_infographic.jpg.
Amid multiple crises—including natural disasters, war, disease, and economic upheaval—the threat of nuclear war may seem distant. But as the world grows increasingly unstable and the chaos continues under the Trump administration, nuclear risk remains very real. The Nobel Laureate Assembly offers an urgent call to awareness. The renditions of “Hard Rain” reflect both the peril and the hope of our times—a fusion of art, activism, and conscience. As David Harrington of the Kronos Quartet said: “Turn it up loud, and play it proud.”
NOTES
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/16/nobel_laureate_assembly_prevention_nuclear_war
https://nobelassembly.org/
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/GO-24-00455
https://warontherocks.com/2025/07/lessons-observed-from-the-war-between-israel-and-iran/
https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/wpge/m_5474/contents.do
https://terrorbirdmedia.disco.ac/view-campaign-email/9c67a906-38ca-48b4-8643-f256c5f131e6/189016/
https://micronesia.un.org/en/269513-unseen-battle-addressing-nuclear-legacy-pacific-island-countries
https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals
https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-nuclear-tests-day/history