Council on Foreign Relations releases report on U.S. nuclear policy

by Paul Carroll

Today, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a Ploughshares-funded Task Force report, "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy", endorsing some of the most important steps necessary to realize the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.    Its recommendations include support for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; limiting the purpose of U.S. nuclear weapons to deterrence; working quickly with Russia to conclude a follow-on agreement to the START Treaty that expires this year; and working to halt the production of weapons-usable fissile materials worldwide.  These are all key goals that Ploughshares supports. 

We are excited to see such clear consensus on these points from the Council.  CFR is one of the most highly respected foreign and security policy organizations in the U.S. and its members include true luminaries of policy expertise.  In fact, this task force’s co-chairs were Dr. William Perry, a former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and General Brent Scowcroft, a former National Security Advisor.  Moreover, two of the Task Force members are now working in the Obama Administration on nuclear security policy and practice.  The Task Force is directed by Dr. Charles Ferguson.

Now that the report is final, CFR will be working to promote its findings and disseminate the conclusions to a broad range of policy-makers, elected officials and media in order to help drive home the logic of these policies and the security benefits they will bring. 

To have a moderate institution like CFR clearly and unequivocally endorse these practical steps in a bilateral report lends serious weight and legitimacy to them.  CFR’s report and recommendations clearly indicate that the “debate” on these policy steps is over and it is time to implement them.  It is also an example of how Ploughshares support is leveraged and directed toward the most influential policymakers and thinkers.  

Paul Carroll is the Ploughshares Fund Program Director, based in San Francisco.