Thoughts on the Helsinki Summit
In terms of arms control, this summit did not produce anything concrete. In their public remarks, President Putin discussed the two U.S.-Russia bilateral arms control treaties — New START and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) — while President Trump mentioned global nuclear issues in the context of North Korea and Iran. There were no announcements regarding specific commitments to extend New START or fix the Russian violation of INF. Meanwhile, since the summit on Monday, Russia has tested new nuclear delivery systems, needlessly increasing tensions in an already tense environment.
Events
The Center hosted an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with Sen. Dick Lugar, Sen. Ed Markey and Sen. Jeff Merkley as guest speakers. Learn more about this treaty by watching our new video and check out photos from the event.
Featured Nukes of Hazard Podcast Episode
Cooperative Threat Reduction or: How I Stopped Worrying and Got Rid of the Bomb: When the Cold War ended, four countries suddenly inherited the former Soviet nuclear arsenal. Destroying and removing those weapons was a herculean effort, and it couldn’t have been done without the bipartisan leadership of two U.S. Senators. In this episode from September, we tell the story with Senators Nunn and Lugar, as well as former Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Weber. Listen or download now
Our Take
Op-ed: A Real Nuclear Triumph for Trump: Extend New START: Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell co-wrote a piece explaining why extending the New START treaty beyond 2021 is essential to preserving transparency and non-proliferation between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers. Read more
We are Still Waiting for Real Action on Chemical Weapon Attacks: Senior Science Fellow John Gilbert writes that while the effects of Novichok attacks persist, the world is not taking action. Read more
Mox debacle: With South Carolina suing Department of Energy, the future of MOX facility remains unclear: Scoville Fellow Luisa Kenausis explains the drama surrounding a Mixed-Oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility in South Carolina that is billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Read more
Center in the Press
Some voices on nuclear risk after Helsinki: Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell explains what she liked and didn’t like about nuclear issues that came up at the Helsinki summit. Listen
Greenpeace stunt highlights gaps in French nuclear security: Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Sara Z. Kutchesfahani says while there are gaps in nuclear security, nuclear states in general succeed in keeping nuclear materials secure. Listen
The Trump Administration’s calculus for the new nukes it wants to build could very well backfire: Policy Analyst James McKeon explains that nuclear escalation can very easily lead to war. Read more
The Trump Administration admits there’s no timeline for North Korea to give up its nukes:Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell says it’s good that the administration is starting to understand that denuclearization is a long process. Read more
Analyst: U.S.-North Korea relations go beyond warhead count: Policy Analyst James McKeon says dismantling a nuclear arsenal is an extremely long and difficult process. Read more
