"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Albert Einstein As someone who has covered the diplomats of the United Nations for over two decades I find Goodwill Ambassador Michael Douglas refreshing. It has been a grueling battle for Mr. Douglas since the three time Academy Award winner was diagnosed late last August with stage 4 throat cancer. He has recently completed simultaneous radiation and chemotherapy. His admirers throughout the world, including those at the United Nations where he has served as Goodwill Ambassador since 1998, are encouraged by reports that he is feeling better and making progress in his recovery. Mr. Douglas's determination to win his battle with cancer is not surprising to those who have worked with him as UN Goodwill Ambassador, where he has taken on the cause of disarmament, one of the world's most daunting challenges. In this capacity he has added to the respected voices of the United Nations attacking the assumption that war is inevitable, that it is simply human nature. He has used his position to deliver the message that our world can change, is changing, and the assumption that war will be with us forever is false. Douglas' commitment to disarmament is not a distant idealistic hope, one photo-op after another. His views and his actions following his UN appointment have been grounded in practical solutions, active participation in public forums and debates, in a genuine attempt to change hearts and minds, national priorities -- policy. This has been reflected in his capacity as world diplomat and in his work as an artist where he has brought urgently needed attention to the plight of child soldiers, hosting a documentary filmed in Sierra Leone that was part of the UN/Showtime series titled "What's Going On?" Also, In 2009, when he joined the project Soldiers of Peace, a movie against all wars and for global peace." Central to this work and reflecting UN policies on disarmament has been the message that our problems are global and can no longer be solved by individual countries alone, by the super powers. That the global challenges we face demand co-operation. And further, whether it is global warming or avoiding nuclear annihilation, we do have the capacity to cooperate as never before, and if we are to survive, we must. Like me, Mr. Douglas grew up during the height of the Cold War. During the 1960's mutual annihilation--assured destruction-- by way of a nuclear exchange was not an aberrant possibility, but a stated policy of deterrence adopted by the United States and the Soviet Union. We experienced firsthand the very real possibility of this coming to pass in the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Historians who have analyzed President Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile crisis conclude that through luck and wisdom a catastrophic nuclear exchange between the former Soviet Union and the United States was avoided, giving our world another chance to rethink and redouble our commitment to disarmament. Over half a century later, judging from the statistics, we may not get that chance again. Since the development of the first nuclear bomb more than 130,000 nuclear weapons have been built. According the United Nations Office of Disarmament annual world military expenditures now exceed $1.5 trillion. This does not, however, measure the human and material cost of conventional weapons. Legal trade in small arms exceeds $4 billion, illicit trade is estimated at $1 billion, not to mention such conventional weapons as landmines that take a toll on life and limb that continues for years after conflict has ceased. In the history of the world there have been only two cases of use of nuclear weapons in war, namely Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Setting aside the possibility of accidental or technical failures of nuclear control systems, the probability of a catastrophic event today depends on the number of existing nuclear arsenals, the number of nuclear weapons in those arsenals, and the number of people who have access to the nuclear button. Addressing these probabilities is the critical work of the United Nations Office of Disarmament. Perhaps, as I did, Mr. Douglas found the words of President Kennedy -- delivered not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis--not only inspiring, but doable and worth trying. His testimony and his work as an artist-diplomat certainly reflect the message of these words. "Some say that it is useless to speak of peace or world law or world disarmament. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man." Douglas demonstrated this attitude not so long ago when he chastised the Millennium Summit language on disarmament saying, "This body should be completely embarrassed as to the fact that we could not come up with any wording or phrasing regarding the issues of nuclear proliferation, comprehensive test ban treaties, non proliferation as we all as our small arms and light arms." In view of the statistics and our record on disarmament so far, it is good to have un-diplomatic diplomats like Michael Douglas around to remind us that we should be embarrassed for our lack of cooperation on one of the most critical issues facing us, our planet, and the survival of humanity. My sincere thanks to Mr. Douglas, and God-speed his recovery--and our work on disarmament. By Tom Osborne Film Report - "UN Nuclear Test Ban/Michael Douglas Messenger of Peace Tribute" - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/nuclear-test-banmichael-douglas-messenger-of-peace/23893 See more Film Reports on UN Goodwill Ambassadors at www.diplomatartist.com including Angelina Jolie, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Barbara Hendricks, Danny Glover, Debi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Gisele Bundchen, Ed Norton, Monique Coleman, Debi Nova, Bill Roedy, President Bill Clinton & more. Further reports on struggle to stop spread of nuclear weapons - www.diplomaticallyincorrect.org