Columns | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Extended deterrence and the tactical nuclear mirage

Joshua Pollack — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:50:26 -0800

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need to reassure allies has become, perhaps by default, one of the more important rationales for continuity in U.S. nuclear posture. In fact, a view frequently expressed by current and former U.S. officials holds that Washington still maintains the largest strategic nuclear arsenal in the world precisely to provide these assurances.

Do professional ethics matter in war?

Hugh Gusterson — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:58:55 -0800

What happens when the U.S. military decides that an academic discipline's professional ethics code is a nuisance?

That is the situation in which anthropology now finds itself.

Assessing the QDR and 2011 defense budget

Gordon Adams — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:58:36 -0800

The new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and the fiscal year 2011 defense budget request have arrived. Unfortunately, they miss the mark: The QDR vastly expands the military's missions, and the budget responds in kind by expanding for the fourteenth consecutive year.

Better incorporating ethicists into the life sciences

Malcolm Dando — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:10:50 -0800

In interdisciplinary discussions there are usually disagreements over terminology. I noticed this firsthand at a January seminar I attended in Australia that brought together some 40 natural scientists, social scientists, philosophers, ethicists, and policy makers to discuss the role and limits of ethics in regards to the dual-use problem in the life sciences.

What to do about tactical nuclear weapons

Pavel Podvig — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:32:08 -0800

Since the United States and Russia might soon sign a new treaty that limits their strategic nuclear weapons, it's natural to wonder about Washington and Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons, which the treaty won't cover. The hope is that the momentum for a nuclear-weapon-free world, the renewed U.S.-Russian negotiations, and the ongoing review of the U.S. nuclear posture and NATO strategic concept will help make progress on reducing nonstrategic nuclear arsenals--an issue that has been largely neglected for more than a decade.

The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review: Separating the U.S. civilian and defense missions

Gordon Adams — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:56:44 -0800

The State Department and USAID are in the midst of conducting an unprecedented Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which is intended to bolster the civilian capabilities of U.S. statecraft. It is taking place in the context of calls by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen to enhance our civilian capabilities in order to avoid the "militarization" of U.S. foreign policy. This, of course, is a positive step forward.

Down the rabbit hole of BWC verification

Malcolm Dando — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:05:05 -0800

Everyone is familiar with the nightmare in which they haven't studied for tomorrow's exam. As I've gotten older, and become a teacher myself, this nightmare has mutated into one in which I've forgotten to prepare the exam for my students! I recently had this nightmare in novel form on a subject I hold dear--international treaty verification.

An American suicide bomber?

Hugh Gusterson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:05:10 -0800

"As for the Taliban fighters, they not only don't cherish life, they expend it freely in suicide bombings. It's difficult to imagine an American suicide bomber," Washington Post pundit Richard Cohen opined in a recent column.

Is the cyber threat a weapon of mass destruction?

Joshua Pollack — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:13:16 -0800

Google's surprise announcement of "a highly sophisticated and targeted attack" on its systems--a case of computer-aided espionage--has also raised the specter of offensive warfare. Defense News quotes Adm. Robert Willard of U.S.

The Nuclear Posture Review, now and later

Joshua Pollack — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:16:43 -0800

The long-awaited report of the third Nuclear Posture Review is now scheduled for delivery to Congress on March 1. According to a recent New York Times article, the posture review will consider the prevention of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism to be equally as important as the nuclear deterrence mission.

Bringing a "culture of responsibility" to life scientists

Malcolm Dando — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:22:12 -0800

In a 2005 essay entitled "Biomedical Research and Biosecurity," Robert Steinbrook, the national correspondent of the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded, "Establishing biosecurity policies for biomedical research without obstructing scientific progress or disrupting the usual procedures for scientific communication is a complex matter." Indeed it is--and has been.

A thought for Copenhagen and beyond

Kurt Zenz House — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:08:06 -0800

Much has been written in anticipation of the current meeting of diplomats and international climate change experts in Copenhagen. Indeed, these men and women deserve our gratitude because forging and implementing an international agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most intractable problems that humanity has ever faced.

Afghanistan: Vietnam all over again

Hugh Gusterson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:48:03 -0800

"Today they are ringing the bells; tomorrow they will be wringing their hands," Sir Robert Walpole.

We don't know the intimate details of the discussions in President Barack Obama's recent war councils, so it's impossible to know what the chess-player-in-chief is thinking as he sends 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. We only know what he is telling us.

Time for a test-ban bargain

Joshua Pollack — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:32:51 -0800

On the face of it, quickly bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) before the U.S. Senate for ratification seems like an easy choice. In 1996, Washington signed the long-sought treaty, which reinforces the nonproliferation regime by banning all nuclear explosions. No U.S. nuclear testing has taken place since 1992, and there is scant interest in picking up where we left off.

When the H1N1 flu hits home

Laura H. Kahn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:18:08 -0800

On Saturday, October 24, President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency. To date, more than 20,000 people have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died.

Bringing increased biological and chemical weapons provisions to the ICC

Malcolm Dando — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:36:16 -0800

This month, the States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) will come together in The Hague to prepare for their review of the Rome Statute, the ICC's governing document, in Uganda in 2010. The primary goal of this meeting is to assess how the ICC and its governing documents can be improved.

Reducing the role of nuclear weapons

Joshua Pollack — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:23:46 -0700

In his April 5, 2009 speech in Prague, President Barack Obama pledged to "take concrete steps toward a world without nuclear weapons." In particular, he promised to "reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same." This was not merely an idealistic gesture. Bounding the role of the U.S.

When science is lacking, good leadership is critical

Laura H. Kahn — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:21:55 -0700

Since the middle of the twentieth century, more than 330 novel infectious diseases have emerged in human populations. The majority of these new diseases spread from animals to humans--take, for example, HIV/AIDS, SARS, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly known as "mad cow disease," or BSE). Some political leaders chose to respond to these dangerous diseases by ignoring or downplaying the problem. Others consulted scientific and medical experts in order to make informed decisions to combat the threats.

Closing the biology-security gap

Malcolm Dando — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:38:07 -0700

Contrary to popular opinion, I think that the international community has been relatively successful in constraining the proliferation of nuclear weapons over the last 60 years. I also believe that we may see a substantial reduction in the number of nuclear weapons over the next decade. Yet I am much less optimistic when it comes to the proliferation of biological weapons. In part, because it's easier to account for fissile material than biological material.

The need for political leadership during a crisis

Laura H. Kahn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:29:33 -0700

The concept of "meta leaders"--individuals who make decisions beyond their official lines of authority in order to facilitate collaborations across jurisdictions and agencies--was proposed in an effort to overcome the silo thinking that characterizes how traditional government leaders carry out their roles. Since then, meetings and summits have promoted the concept of "meta leadership" among business, government, and nonprofit sectors.