  This paper deals with resistive wall tearing mode (RWTM) disruptions. RWTMs
are closely related to resistive wall modes (RWMs). The nonlinear behavior of
these modes is strongly dependent on the resistive wall outside the plasma. A
conducting wall is highly mitigating for RWTM disruptions. The consequence for
ITER, which has a highly conducting wall, is that the thermal quench (TQ) time
could be much longer than previously conjectured. Active feedback stabilization
is another possible way to mitigate or prevent RWTM disruptions. Simulations of
disruptions are reviewed for DIII-D and MST. MST has a longer resistive wall
time than ITER, and disruptions are not observed experimentally when MST is
operated as a standard tokamak. Simulations indicate that the RWTM disruption
time scale is longer than the experimental shot time.
  In general, edge cooling by tearing mode island overlap or by impurity
radiation causes contraction of the current profile, which destabilizes RWTMs.
The equilibria studied here have a q = 2 rational surface close to the edge of
the plasma, and low edge current density.
  A sequence of low edge current model equilibria hasmajor disruptions only for
a resistive, not ideal, wall, and approximately edge q < 3. This is consistent
with typical regimes of tokamak disruption avoidance, suggesting that typical
tokamak disruptions could be RWTMs.
