White House Nuclear Policy Plan Faltering

The media coverage of President Obama’s recent nuclear negotiations in Moscow was only slightly better than the largely negative coverage the President's historic speech in Prague receive.  In both instances, most news stories, editorials and op-eds failed to connect reducing nuclear arsenals with advancing U.S. national security interests.

The absence of this crucial link in the media coverage points to a larger problem: the lack of a clear Obama message on nuclear policy.  The Obama administration has not yet developed a persuasive and aggressive campaign to advance the nuclear agenda the president laid out in Prague.

Please click on the attachment below to read a detailed assessment of the coverage of President Obama’s first European trip.  Jonathan M. Larkin, a graduate student in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, conducted the research as part of a graduate seminar taught by Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione this spring.  If you have any questions or comments that you wish to send to the author, you may contact him directly at jml239@georgetown.edu.