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Saturday July 4, 2009

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Nuclear Weapons

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBeyond START: Negotiating the Next Step in U.S. and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arms Reductions

Steven Pifer, May 2009, The Brookings Institution

Beyond START: Negotiating the Next Step in U.S. and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arms ReductionsIn April, President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced they would work on a new agreement to limit offensive arms before the START treaty expires in December. On Monday, the first round of talks on a new strategic arms reduction treaty begin in Moscow. Steven Pifer assesses the considerations of both countries and offers suggestions for building a new framework to reduce strategic arsenals. Read More

Arms Control, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Proliferation, Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe G8: From Trieste to L’Aquila

Federiga Bindi, July 03, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Federiga Binda believes the recent G8 foreign ministers meeting in Trieste has set the stage for pragmatic and operative discussions at the upcoming G8 summit. Bindi examines key issues of the debate including Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation and the future role of the European Union in global governance. Read More

G8 Summit, Afghanistan, Iran, Nuclear Weapons, International Relations

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioPreviewing President Obama’s Trip to Russia

Steven Pifer, July 01, 2009

Previewing President Obama’s Trip to RussiaAs President Obama prepares for talks with Russian President Medvedev in Moscow, Steven Pifer says the administration is looking for three key outcomes from the meeting: a new treaty to replace START, a cooperative approach for dealing with Iran and Afghanistan, and a structured mechanism to keep their mutual interests on track.

Russia, Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Foreign Policy, Iraq

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOptions for a New American Strategy Toward Iran

Kenneth M. Pollack, Daniel L. Byman, Martin S. Indyk, Suzanne Maloney, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Bruce Riedel, June 2009, The Brookings Institution

Options for a New American Strategy Toward IranIn a new Saban Analysis Paper, six Brookings experts analyze the main policy approaches toward Iran. In examining the benefits and drawbacks of the nine options—including engagement, persuasion, airstrikes, and containment—the authors refrain from recommending one policy over the other. Rather, they present the details of the policies in a manner that allows readers to understand the complexity of the challenge that is Iran and decide for themselves which group of policies is best. Read More

Iran, Foreign Policy, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, International Relations

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioA New North Korea Strategy

Michael E. O'Hanlon and Stephen J. Solarz, June 24, 2009, USA Today

Michael O'Hanlon and Stephen Solarz write that with China’s lead—and U.S. support—Pyongyang could be brought to its knees and given the choice of watching its economy collapse or giving up nuclear weapons. Read More

North Korea, China, Nuclear Weapons, Sanctions, Asia

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Moscow Summit and Improving the U.S.-Russian Relationship

Steven Pifer, June 24, 2009, RIA Novosti

Steven Pifer looks toward President Obama's July visit to Moscow where he will meet with President Medvedev of Russia. Pifer outlines three outcomes—including a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty—the U.S. should hope for from the talks. Read More

Russia, International Relations, Arms Control, Foreign Policy, Nuclear Weapons

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioTrieste, Al Qaeda and the Stakes in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Bruce Riedel, June 24, 2009, The Brookings Institution

As G8 foreign ministers meet in Italy prior to the G8 summit in July, Bruce Riedel comments on an interview in which an al Qaeda operative predicts the group will take over Afghanistan and Pakistan then use Pakistan's nuclear weapons against the United States. Riedel says the foreign ministers need to be clear and unequivocal that they will provide the resources needed to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban to lessen the chance of a nuclear Armageddon. Read More

Terrorism, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Transnational Security Threats, Nuclear Weapons

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioWhich Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC

Reuters/Morteza NikoubazlWith Iran in the grip of post-election uncertainty, the question of how to approach America’s most vexing Middle East policy challenge has become acute. On June 23, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted a discussion with the authors of a new monograph titled "Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran," which outlines nine policy options for the United States in its approach to Iran during this pivotal time. Read More

Iran, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, Middle East, Foreign Policy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNorth Korea’s Nuclear and Missile Tests and the Six-Party Talks: Where Do We Go From Here?

Richard C. Bush III, June 17, 2009, House Subcommittees on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment and on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade

In testimony before Congress on June 17, senior fellow and CNAPS director Richard Bush described how North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests have transformed the challenge faced by the international system. Dr. Bush testified that it is now clear that North Korea bases its security on nuclear weapons, and the hope that it will abandon the nuclear option has disappeared. Read More

North Korea, Northeast Asia, Nuclear Weapons, Sanctions, United Nations

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioObama, South Korean President Criticize North Korea's Actions

Dennis Wilder, June 16, 2009, PBS' NewsHour

Dennis Wilder joined Gwen Ifill to discuss President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak meeting about recent provocations in the latest round of the ongoing diplomatic standoff with North Korea. Read More

North Korea, South Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Diplomacy, International Relations

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNorth Korea Collapse Scenarios

Michael E. O'Hanlon, June 2009, The Brookings Institution

North Korea Collapse ScenariosIraq and Afghanistan continue to pre-occupy U.S. military planners. But North Korea, with its growing nuclear arsenal, would become America's paramount security challenge if the state were to collapse. Michael O’Hanlon writes that the United States and other nations must begin detailed and coordinated planning for stabilization in the event of collapse of the North Korean state. Read More

North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, U.S. Military, China, South Korea

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIt is China that Holds the Key to North Korea

Dennis Wilder, June 04, 2009, Financial Times

In recent months, North Korea has unabashedly plowed forward with the development of its nuclear program, an action that threatens to erode regional stability in Northeast Asia. Dennis Wilder examines the role of China in reducing the North Korean threat and explores the causes, pointing to necessary limits of China’s calculated caution toward North Korea. Read More

North Korea, China, Nuclear Weapons, Asia, Northeast Asia

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioPakistan and the Bomb

Bruce Riedel, May 30, 2009, Wall Street Journal

Battles between the Pakistani army, al Qaeda and the Taliban are the latest in a deadly struggle for nuclear-armed Pakistan. Bruce Riedel assesses the history of Pakistan's nuclear program as well as the danger of extremists gaining access to weapons should Pakistan fall into the wrong hands. Read More

Pakistan, Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Arms Control, South Asia

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioQuarantine Possibilities for North Korea Shipping

Michael E. O'Hanlon, May 28, 2009, The Washington Times

Michael O'Hanlon writes that while North Korea risks some tightening of sanctions as a result of their recent nuclear test, it probably will not pay a huge and enduring price. O'Hanlon believes if North Korea is unwilling to dismantle its arsenal the U.S., China, and other international partners should set up a maritime quarantine to monitor ships that could transfer nuclear materials and technology to terrorists or other nations. Read More

North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Sanctions, Trade, China

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioThe North Korean Nuclear Crisis

Wednesday, May 27, 2009
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC

The latest North Korean nuclear test provoked universal international condemnation. The United Nations Security Council, notably with the support of both China and Russia, unanimously condemned North Korea’s actions. On May 27, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on the North Korea nuclear crisis. Read More

North Korea, Nuclear Weapons

In Brief

At least nine nations are believed to have nuclear weapons – the United States, Russia, England, France, China, Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel. Other nations may have nuclear weapons or are working towards them, most notably Iran. At the height of the Cold War in 1985, there were believed to be 65,000 nuclear weapons in the world. As a result of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and unilateral decisions by some countries, this number has been reduced to about 20,000.

Featured Experts

Steven Pifer

Steven Pifer

Visiting Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

A former ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer’s career as a Foreign Service officer centered on Europe, the former Soviet Union and arms control. In addition to Kyiv, he had postings in London, Moscow, Geneva and Warsaw as well as on the National Security Council. He is focusing on Ukraine and Russia issues at Brookings.
Read More

Strobe Talbott

Strobe Talbott

President, The Brookings Institution

Strobe Talbott is president of the Brookings Institution. Talbott, whose career spans journalism, government service, and academe, is an expert on U.S. foreign policy, with specialties on Europe, Russia, South Asia, and nuclear arms control. As deputy secretary of state in the Clinton administration, Talbott was deeply involved in both the conduct of U.S. policy abroad and the management of executive branch relations with Congress. In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Read More

Carlos Pascual

Carlos Pascual

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy

Carlos Pascual is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and senior director on the National Security Council staff, he focuses on post-conflict stabilization, international security policy, nonproliferation and economic development with particular focus on Europe, Russia and Ukraine. Pascual was vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings from 2006-2009.
Read More

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Q&A with Strobe Talbott

Global Challenges for the Next U.S. President

"The Non-proliferation Treaty is coming apart in a way that could mean that we could have 15, 20 maybe as many as 30 countries with nuclear weapons in another decade. And that means you've got the potential not just for thermo-nuclear war but multiple thermo-nuclear wars..."

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Spotlight

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any democracy requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work has extended beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions and issues in higher education. Experts are tackling fundamental issues on the role of education in the national and global economy.

Research ProjectBudgeting for National Priorities

The Budgeting for National Priorities project promotes greater fiscal responsibility by developing new ideas, educating the public and finding common ground among experts and policy-makers.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

TopicMigration

Migration is an issue that bridges Brookings’s expertise in domestic and foreign policy. In the United States, reforming immigration policy remains a subject of intense political debate. Globally, the unprecedented movement of people across borders raises issues in both industrialized countries and the developing world.

ExpertMartin Neil Baily

Martin Baily, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, focuses on issues of globalization, productivity and competitiveness, Social Security reform and U.S. economic policy.

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics.  She is completing a project on the politics of advice and consent, and is at work on the politics of how Congress responds to financial crises.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertEswar Prasad

Eswar Prasad, who holds the New Century Chair in International Economics, is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development. He is the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University and was previously head of the Financial Studies Division and the China Division at the IMF.

Policy CenterJohn L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops analysis and policy recommendations to help address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

Policy CenterCenter on the United States and Europe

The Center on the U.S. and Europe is dedicated to the study of Europe and U.S.-Europe relations. It involves American and European experts in an active program of research, analysis, and debate.

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Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is a security studies professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

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Redefining the challenges facing metropolitan America and promoting innovative solutions to help communities grow in more inclusive, competitive and sustainable ways.

Research Project21st Century Defense Initiative

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Research ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.