In order to truly abolish the threats posed by nuclear weapons the international community must take steps to safeguard or eliminate the fissile materials used in both military and civilian sectors, according to a recently released experts report (see GSN, Dec. 11). Read more »
Writing for TPM Café, William Hartung of the Ploughshares-funded New America Foundation argues against “the chorus of neo-conservative pundits who have been criticizing the Obama administration for taking modest but essential steps towards the president's stated goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.” He concludes, “Wh Read more »
The meetings between Russian President Medvedev and President Obama focused on many issues besides nuclear disarmament, but none so important, according to Ambassadors James Collins and Jack Matlock in an article in Foreign Policy. “For the first time in many years, it seems likely that the Read more »
President Obama's use of the word “verifiable” in his April 5 Prague speech injected new hope into disarmament talks, putting the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament on a possible course toward negotiating a treaty after years of deadlock. The Bush administration argued a pact could not be verified by inspections and monitoring. Read more »
Letters to the editor by several Ploughshares grantees appeared in the New York Times rebutting Philip Taubman’s recent piece that questioned the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. Bill Hartung of the New America Foundation commented, “Nuclear weapons serve no military purpose, and the use of even one — whether intentionally or by accident — would cause unparalleled destruction. That is why their elimination is being demanded not only by a growing roster of former diplomats, but by former secretaries of defense and retired generals as well.” Read more »
U.N. nuclear talks hit a roadblock Friday as Cuba, Iran and other developing nations demanded the five original nuclear powers accept legally binding commitments to dismantle nuclear arsenals and provide assurances they will not use such weapons against states without atomic weapons. In this month's talks, the strongest resistance came from France. Read more »
A statement by Ploughshares grantee Partnership for a Secure America offers a concrete list of actions the Obama Administration should take to deliver on the President's promise last month in Prague to combat global nuclear proliferation. The statement in support of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) is signed by a bipartisan group thirty high- Read more »
On March 21, the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty formally entered into force. Kazakhstan, which once possessed the world's fourth-largest nuclear stockpile, signed the pact along with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Read more »
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