Prepared by Candice DeNardi Updated by Bridget Nolan and Kingston Reif What is a Nuclear Weapon? A nuclear weapon is a device which rapidly releases nuclear energy, either through fission (as in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) or a combination fission and fusion (as in a thermonuclear or hydrogen bomb). How do Nuclear […]
NATO: Still Fighting the Last (Cold) War
By Lesley McNiesh At the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, the alliance had the chance to make changes to NATO’s nuclear posture that would align it with 21st century security challenges. Instead, it chose to remain mired in Cold War thinking. At the 2010 Lisbon summit, NATO mandated a review to accomplish the key task […]
Nuclear Shields, Dull Swords
3131 Earlier this month, Global Zero’s U.S. Nuclear Policy Commission, chaired by former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, issued a report reevaluating US nuclear strategy and force posture. In the two decades since the end of the Cold War, the United States has not significantly altered its approach to […]
Independence for Scotland and Disarmament for the United Kingdom: The Law of Unintended Consequences
A mixture of geography and nationalism has set the stage in the United Kingdom for a referendum in 2014 that will ask voters a straightforward question with complex consequences: Should Scotland be an independent nation?
Independence for Scotland and Disarmament for the United Kingdom: Or, the Law of Unintended Consequences
By Matthew Fargo A mixture of geography and nationalism has set the stage in the United Kingdom for a referendum in 2014 that will ask voters a straightforward question with complex consequences: Should Scotland be an independent nation? A complicating factor for the referendum is that while the United Kingdom is a permanent member of […]