United States

The United States invented nuclear weapons, operates the second largest nuclear force in the world and holds the dubious distinction of being the only country to use these weapons in combat. As a result, the U.S. has a special responsibility to lead the way in reducing its own nuclear weapons stockpile and calling for other nuclear armed nations to follow suite. Following is analysis and opinion from Ploughshares Fund staff, grantees and guests on the ongoing struggle to deal with nuclear weapons in the United States.

  • Lessons Learned from the New Start Campaign

    This article by Ploughshares Fund Government Affairs Representative Robert Leonard was featured by the Connect U.S. Fund

    January 12, 2011 - By Margaret Swink

  • New START Ratification and Next Steps

    The year 2010 ended with a new start. Senate ratification of the New START treaty on December 22nd was an important step forward for arms control.

    January 12, 2011 - By Sarah Beth Cross

  • The Military-Industrial Complex Revisited

    January 17th, 2011 will mark the 50th anniversary of President Eisenhower’s famous farewell address in which he warned against the perils of the military-industrial complex.

    January 11, 2011 - By Reid Pauly

  • Fresh Security Consensus Trounces Cold War Politics in New START Victory

    The New START treaty has obvious benefits for national security. But the overwhelming vote in favor of the treaty (71-26) has much broader significance. And the still sizable vote against it, a troubling dark side.

    December 23, 2010 - By Joe Cirincione

  • Senate Approves New START Treaty

    On December 22, 2010, the Senate approved the New START nuclear reduction treaty in a strong, bipartisan 71-26 vote. The new treaty reduces our stockpile of nuclear weapons, puts inspectors back on the ground in Russia and places the U.S.

    December 22, 2010 - By Kelly Bronk

  • New START a Shift to the Political Center

    By Ploughshares Board Member Gloria Duffy

    The passage of the New START treaty would be momentous for a number of reasons.

    December 20, 2010 - By Sarah Beth Cross

  • Sustainable Partnership with Russia Group (SuPR) Meeting

    Joe participates in the second Sustainable Partnership with Russia (SuPR Group) Meeting in Gstaad, Switzerland.

    December 20, 2010 - By Kelly Bronk

  • More than 30 Organizations Urge Senate Leadership to "Approve New START Now"

    Leaders of key organizations working to sustain the momentum for approval of New START wrote a letter to Senate Democratic yesterday demanding that the Senate immediately turn its attention to ratifying the treaty.  These organizations, representing millions of Americans, demonstrate the large, diverse, bipartisan coalition of national security, religious, scientific, and environmental organizations that support prompt ratification of New START.

    December 9, 2010 - By Ploughshares Fund

  • New START by the Numbers

    What do every living secretary of state, 5 former secretaries of defense, 9 former national security advisors, and the entire U.S. military chain of command have in common?  They support the New START treaty.

    December 8, 2010 - By Reid Pauly

  • Showdown in the Senate

    When the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are united, they usually get what they want. And they really want the New START treaty.

    America’s national security elites have come out in force in support of New START. Just this morning, five former Republican secretaries of state urged the Senate to ratify the treaty in an op-ed for The Washington Post. They wrote, “we have here an agreement that is clearly in our national interest.”

    December 2, 2010 - By Joe Cirincione