Part 4: Nixon’s Madman Nuclear Alert
This post deals with the most bizarre of these, an event that has been dubbed Nixon’s “Madman Nuclear Alert.” A paper by Stanford Prof. Scott Sagan and University of Wisconsin Prof. Jeremi Suri describes the origins and trajectory of this dangerous ploy:
“Domestic and bureaucratic opposition to further escalation of the […]

According to a report just released by the highly-respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), world military expenditures in 2012 totaled $1.75 trillion.
The report revealed that, as in recent decades, the world’s biggest military spender by far was the U.S. government, whose expenditures for war and preparations for war amounted to $682 billion — 39 […]

Part 1: The First Gulf of Tonkin Incident
There’s an old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” But what should the saying be when the American public is fooled repeatedly, at a cost of millions of lives?
Wednesday marks the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War, a very appropriate […]

In the past few months, a spate of nuclear arms control related legislation has been submitted to the U.S. Congress. Although many of the proposed bills are in response to the protracted debate on New START, and Senator Kyl’s inability to prevent its ratification, others are aimed at promoting nuclear nonproliferation and strengthening the […]

Of all states, North Korea as it presently exists and is governed is probably seen by many other states as the most potentially problematic with respect to its ongoing compliance with a nuclear weapons ban. This, of course, is assuming North Korea joined a nuclear ban treaty [convention] along with all other states—and incentives for […]

For abolishing nuclear weapons, a major obstacle is presumed to be Israel. If it is posited (as I submit it should be) that a nuclear ban treaty [convention] would require accession by all states before entry into force, then let it be further assumed that all states have joined a nuclear ban—except Israel. Even as […]

On February 9, 2011, Dr. Avner Cohen presented a lecture on his new book, The Worst Kept Secret: Israel’s Bargain with the Bomb. This was a look into the taboo topic of Israel’s nuclear program presented to a group of Georgia Tech students, faculty, staff, and guests from off campus as a collaboration of […]

Last year was an eventful year in the world of nuclear arms control, producing several important achievements. In the waning days of 2010, the U.S. Senate finally ratified the new Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (START), a bilateral nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia, signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in April. […]

Most people would not want a nuclear power plant in their neighborhood, even though nuclear power plants are designed to fail less than once every million years.1 Yet few are concerned about much more horrific events—failure of nuclear deterrence or a nuclear terrorist attack—even though those odds are less well understood.
Martin E. Hellman, “Risk Analysis […]

The New Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (START), signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in April 2010, is currently languishing in the Senate awaiting ratification. New START reduces nuclear warhead levels in both the U.S. and Russia to 1,550 and establishes stringent verification and inspection mechanisms.

Two weeks ago, Countdown to Zero, a documentary about threat nuclear weapons pose to global security, premiered in dozens of cities across the U.S. as part of a social action campaign to raise awareness. Although sixty-four percent of Americans strongly favor eliminating nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons remain an important component of international security doctrines […]

In April, Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), to replace the 1991 START I, which expired last December. The treaty is currently the subject of hearings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a vote on ratification is expected sometime in August or September. For the arms […]

The atom bomb was man’s deadliest fruit of their scientific labors, a weapon of unprecedented destruction that had the power to wipe out an entire city off the face of the earth—a destructive capability that was once the stuff of science fiction novels, but now a very frighteningly real fact. On August 6th, 1945, […]

In light of the upcoming Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference scheduled to convene in May, the next several Daisy Alliance newsletters will be devoted to analyzing the substantive issues that may present a challenge to achieving consensus. The NPT consists of three pillars: nonproliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use. This month’s topic is the peaceful […]

Outer space is the new frontier for both peace and war, and as more nations enter the “space race,” a comprehensive and robust space security treaty regime is needed to ensure the use of space solely for peaceful purposes. However, the U.S. government has thwarted international interests by blocking negotiations to create a new […]

On April 30, 2009, President Obama completed his first 100 days in office, firing up a frenzy of media evaluations on his accomplishments. This month, Daisy Alliance evaluates the nonproliferation and disarmament efforts of the Obama administration during that time.

The responsibility to protect, an idea currently sweeping through the international community in response to emerging security dangers in the world, is beginning to take root in the international institutions designed to protect the world. Following the genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Bosnia and the crimes against humanity in Kosovo, East Timor, and Darfur […]

One of the most important issues facing the U.S. and the world at this moment is energy security. A great many energy concerns face us in the coming years. Fossil fuel depletion is a particular concern, since much of the world relies on oil. There is a distinct possibility that the world […]

According to a paper published by the Natural Resources Defense Council , the United States spends approximately $40 Billion annually maintaining its nuclear weapons stockpile.1 That breaks down to approximately $8,000,000/year - just to maintain one nuclear weapon. That’s a staggering amount of money only to maintain existing nuclear weapons; it does not […]

This month’s newsletter focuses on international security through an economic lens. We all know of the difficulties facing the economy, both at the domestic and global level, and that is an important issue that the incoming administration will have to face. Economic stability is essential to international security, yet how to rebuild that […]

With the Presidential election fast approaching, it is a good time to examine where Senators Barack Obama and John McCain stand on the issues of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation. This two part series will address this topic, focusing on the stance each candidate takes on WMD issues, and how their […]

With the Presidential election fast approaching, it is a good time to examine where Senators Barack Obama and John McCain stand on the issues of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation. This two part series will address this topic, focusing on the stance each candidate takes on WMD issues, and how their […]

On January 17, 2007, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight, where it presently remains at five minutes to midnight. The Doomsday Clock measures how close the world is to self destructing – mainly via nuclear weapons. In a press release, the scientific group explains the […]

As World War I broke out, Henry James identified an inexorable current that had been running below international events, leading to the “monstrous scene” of August “as its grand Niagara.” Below the glassy upriver surface, the swift tide had been driven by habits of mind, arms merchant greed, imperial hubris, and a politics that was […]

Old habits die hard, and nowhere is that aphorism truer than at the Pentagon. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 budget request, released at the beginning of February, the Department of Defense (DOD) asked for $518 billion. This is the highest amount for the Pentagon since World War II. Marking its 10th straight year of […]

Effecting change in Washington, and nuclear weapons policy in particular, is exceedingly difficult, requiring strong presidential leadership and a working bipartisan majority. Yet, recent congressional actions and trends will give the next occupant of the White House a rare opportunity to initiate sweeping changes in outdated U.S. nuclear weapons and arms control policies.