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Nuclear Weapons

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStemming Nuclear Proliferation: Prevent and Manage the Rise of New Nuclear Powers

Michael E. O'Hanlon and Stephen P. Cohen, February 28, 2007, Opportunity 08

Stemming Nuclear Proliferation: Prevent and Manage the Rise of New Nuclear PowersNorth Korea has just marked the first anniversary of its nuclear test, calling it a "great miracle." To address this and other threats, Stephen Cohen and Michael O'Hanlon argue that the next President should enhance adherence to international non-proliferation agreements; expand threat reduction efforts; and place less emphasis on the role of nuclear arms in protecting America. Read More

Nuclear Weapons, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons, Arms Control, Proliferation

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioRenew Diplomacy in the Middle East

Monday, January 05, 2009
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC

Reuters/Suhaib SalemIsrael's continued engagement against Hamas in Gaza, now being waged with ground forces, further complicates Barack Obama's agenda for the Middle East, which also includes withdrawing from Iraq and capping Iran’s nuclear ambitions. On January 5, Martin Indyk and Kenneth Pollack offered a public memo to President-elect Obama with recommendations on how to deal with the urgent challenges that will confront him across the volatile region. Read More

Middle East, Diplomacy, Arab-Israeli Relations, Iraq, Iran

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioA New Old Nuclear Arsenal

Michael E. O'Hanlon, December 25, 2008, The Washington Post

Michael O'Hanlon discusses a likely disagreement between President-elect Obama and Defense Secretary Robert gates regarding the "reliable replacement warhead" (RRW) and the U.S. nuclear arsenal. O'Hanlon believes the right strategy will have two elements: redefine the RRW program as a remanufacture of an older design, and delay that program to allow Obama to create momentum for arms control. Read More

Nuclear Weapons, Arms Control, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation, Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioManaging Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East

Bruce Riedel and Gary Samore, December 2008, Brookings Institution Press

Managing Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle EastBruce Riedel and Gary Samore write that attempts to stop Iran's nuclear program have failed. They offer suggestions to the incoming Obama administration on how to move forward with a new approach to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Read More

Nuclear Weapons, Iran, Middle East, Proliferation, Islamic World

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioAmerican and Iran: Flawed Analysis, Missed Opportunities, and Looming Dangers

Bruce Riedel, Winter 2008, Brown Journal of World Affairs

For 30 years, the United States has tried to deal with Iran and its revolutionary ideology without a well grounded understanding of what motivates and inspires Iranians. Bruce Riedel analyzes the past, current, and possible future relationship between the U.S. and Iran. Read More

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

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBeyond Iraq: A New U.S. Strategy for the Middle East

Richard N. Haass and Martin S. Indyk, January/February 2009, Foreign Affairs

Martin Indyk and Richard Haass argue to be successful in the Middle East, the Obama administration will need to move beyond Iraq, find ways to deal constructively with Iran, and forge a final-status Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Read More

Middle East, Iraq, Arab-Israeli Relations, Iran, Israel

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioTrading Off Nuclear Energy and Non-Proliferation in the 1970s and Today

Tuesday, December 09, 2008
11:15 AM to 12:15 PM
Washington, DC

On December 9, the Brookings Institution and the Italian Embassy will host a discussion with a keynote address by Joseph S. Nye, Jr., distinguished service professor at Harvard University, on how the forthcoming G8 Italian presidency might provide a stronger impetus towards cooperation on nuclear security—one that begins with civilian nuclear power and also addresses all of the traditional nuclear security questions. Read More

Italy, G8, Nuclear Weapons

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioPathway to Coexistence: A New U.S. Policy toward Iran

Suzanne Maloney and Ray Takeyh, December 2008, Brookings Institution Press

Pathway to Coexistence: A New U.S. Policy toward IranThe Obama administration may be tempted to take the easy way out by offering merely new rhetoric and modest refinements to the carrot-and stick approach that has failed its five predecessors. Suzanne Maloney and Ray Takeyh believe this would be a mistake. Today, to deal effectively with a rising Iran, the United States must embark on a far deeper reevaluation of its strategy and launch a comprehensive diplomatic initiative to attempt to engage its most enduring Middle Eastern foe. Read More

Iran, Diplomacy, Nuclear Weapons, Middle East, International Relations

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioA Plan for Action: Renewed American Leadership and International Cooperation for the 21st Century

Thursday, November 20, 2008
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC

A Plan for Action: Renewed American Leadership and International Cooperation for the 21st CenturyTo face the daunting problems of the global financial crisis to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and transnational threats such as nuclear proliferation, terrorism and global climate change, the new Obama administration will need to forge global partnerships and usher in a new era of international cooperation.  On November 20, the Managing Global Insecurity (MGI) Project released "A Plan for Action,” a comprehensive set of foreign policy recommendations for the next U.S. president—and other world leaders—to address the most critical challenges facing the world today. Read More

Transnational Security Threats, Iraq, Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Nuclear Weapons

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioManaging Global Insecurity: A Plan for Action

Managing Global Insecurity, November 2008, The Brookings Institution

Managing Global Insecurity: A Plan for ActionAmerican and global leaders face a choice: they can either use this moment to help shape an international, rule-based order that will protect their global interests, or resign themselves to an ad hoc international system where they are increasingly powerless to shape the course of international affairs. The longer the delay in new approaches and new cooperation against today’s threats, the more difficult the challenges will become. Global leaders must chart a shared path forward that marries power and responsibility to achieve together what cannot be achieved apart: peace and security in a transnational world. Read More

International Organizations, Transnational Security Threats, Force and Legitimacy, Diplomacy, International Relations

BOOK

Save to My PortfolioRestoring the Balance

Richard N. Haass and Martin S. Indyk, November 01, 2008

Experts propose a new, nonpartisan Middle East strategy drawing on the lessons of past failures to address both the short-term and long-term challenges to U.S. interests. Read More

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

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNorth Korea: Planning for After the Kims

Kongdan Oh, October 29, 2008, International Herald Tribune

North Korea: Planning for After the KimsThere has been much speculation over the declining health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in recent weeks. Kongdan Oh writes that it is imperative to prepare for the eventual collapse of the Kim regime and that regime change in North Korea can open the way for an end to the Cold War on the Korean peninsula and build the foundation of a democratic and unified Korea that will influence the region. Read More

North Korea, Northeast Asia, Nuclear Weapons, Asia

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioToward a World Without Nuclear Weapons

Ivo H. Daalder and Jan Lodal, November/December 2008, Foreign Affairs

The next president will have an opportunity to make the elimination of all nuclear weapons and organizing principle of U.S. nuclear policy. It will take a real commitment, at the highest levels and beginning with the United States, to turn what Ivo Daalder and Jan Lodal call the “logic of zero” into a practical reality. Read More

Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons, National Security

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioU.S. Policy Toward Iran: Missed Opportunities and Paths Forward

Suzanne Maloney, Summer 2008, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Volume 32:2

Suzanne Maloney writes that U.S. policy toward Iran is in a profound state of disarray as international support for sanctions or use of force has dwindled recently. Maloney argues that the U.S. must first understand where the miscalculations occurred, and that the next administration should be prepared to outline a new way forward on Iran. Read More

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

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIn the U.S., Even Those Against the Nuclear Deal Like India

Stephen P. Cohen, October 13, 2008, livemint.com

In an interview in Delhi around the time the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal cleared its last hurdles in the U.S. Congress and was signed into law by President George Bush last week, Stephen Cohen dwells on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, the China context around the deal, and how precarious he thinks the Pakistani democracy is. Read More

India, South Asia, Energy Security, Proliferation, Transnational Security Threats

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

Ivo H. Daalder

Ivo H. Daalder

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy

Ivo Daalder, a former director for European Affairs on the National Security Council, is an expert on national security affairs, the use of force, nonproliferation and nuclear weapons, transatlantic relations and the policy-making process.
Read More

Daniel L. Byman

Daniel L. Byman

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy

Dan Byman focuses on counterterrorism and Middle East security. He also directs Georgetown University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies.
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

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings. His studies include campaigns and elections, political advertising, mass media, public opinion, technology policy and electronic government.

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.

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.

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.

ExpertEswar Prasad

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

ExpertRebecca Blank

Rebecca Blank is an expert on the interaction between the macroeconomy, government anti-poverty programs, and the behavior and well being of low-income families. She has just been named the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow at Brookings.

ExpertMark B. McClellan

A medical doctor and economist, Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

Research ProjectThe Hamilton Project

The Hamilton Project produces research and policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. Their agenda also focuses on enhancing individual economic security and effective public investments. 

ExpertMauricio Cárdenas

Mauricio Cárdenas is a senior fellow and director of the Latin American Initiative. Formerly minister of Economic Development and Transportation, and director of National Planning of Colombia, his research focuses on international and development economics. He is also the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA).

TOPICThe Presidential Transition

During the 77 days from the election to the Inauguration, Brookings experts will offer 12 "Memos to the President" on top policy priorities across the spectrum of domestic and global challenges, plus additional advice on transitioning from campaigning to governing.

ExpertMartin S. Indyk

Ambassador to Israel and assistant secretary of state for near east affairs during the Clinton Administration, Martin Indyk directs the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He currently focuses on the Clinton administration’s diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ExpertHugh B. Price

Former president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Hugh Price is an expert on education, civil rights, equal opportunity and criminal justice. His 40-year career spans journalism, philanthropy, the law, and social advocacy.

ExpertJulia B. Isaacs

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.

ExpertAlice M. Rivlin

Alice Rivlin, the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy. She directs the Greater Washington Research project. 

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.