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researcher inside wind turbine

Climate change: What has Biden promised to do? And is it enough?

The administration pledged to halve US emissions by 2030, one of the most ambitious goals for a developed country. And yet...
Nuclear launch console.

Hot-button campaign issue: 2020 Democrats disagree on nuclear launch authority

Where can a Democratic voter turn for some healthy disagreement among the candidates about US nuclear policies? Changing the president’s unfettered authority to launch a nuclear attack.

One scientist’s do-it list for presumptive Energy Secretary Perry

Clean up the mess, take care of the nukes, trim cost overruns, and change the culture. 
Health workers in North Carolina handle a delivery of COVID-19 vaccines

A Harvard professor who once helped secure Soviet nukes is now grading the COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Harvard professor Graham Allison once helped secure nuclear missiles in the former Soviet Union, now he's grading states on how well they're vaccinating people against COVID-19. The famed analyst of great power competition is taking on a new (great) challenge.
flags in Vienna

The postponed 2020 NPT Review Conference: A modest proposal

Maybe the solution to the problems surrounding this year’s planned conference is to not even hold it this year or next year, but in 2022. And some other suggestions.
A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone.

Turkey’s military drones: an export product that’s disrupting NATO

Despite humble beginnings, Turkey's domestic military drone program is producing models ready for export. It's also contributing to Turkey's strained relationship with NATO as Turkish drones attack Western-allied Kurds in Syria.
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty in the East Room of the White House on December 8, 1987.

What the impending death of the INF teaches about future arms control agreements

While the pros and cons of pulling out of the INF have been thoroughly debated, a subject that has received much less attention is what the impending death of the INF can teach us about future arms control agreements. Specifically, how can future treaties be designed to avoid the fate of the INF?

How demagogues destroy democracy: a step-by-step global guide

Today's demagogues are the harbingers of a new, 21st-century form of despotism: a corrupted, "phantom democracy" in which periodic elections are held but the rich become super-rich and omnipotent—while most of the populace is gripped by feelings of powerlessness.
Iranian President Rouhani in April visiting the exhibition of nuclear achievements. Credit: Official website of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. https://president.ir/en/120598.

Iran’s uranium gambit is a dangerous negotiating tactic

Nuclear talks with Iran seemed to be on the cusp of a new lease on life after three years of steady attrition. Will Iran’s stepped-up uranium metal activity be a final blow?

Steps back from the brink at the Strait of Hormuz

The United States and Iran may be heading to a showdown at the Strait of Hormuz that could potentially lead to war. The result could be many deaths, serious damage to the world economy, and an Iran hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons. Is there any way out?

Steps back from the brink at the Strait of Hormuz

The United States and Iran may be heading to a showdown at the Strait of Hormuz that could potentially lead to war. The result could be many deaths, serious damage to the world economy, and an Iran hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons. Is there any way out?   The Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) … Continued
South Korean missiles

Why South Korea’s plan for dealing with North Korea is right

Why the United States and South Korea should consider reducing their military exercises, if North Korea agrees to rein in its testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Why Biden should push for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

President-elect Joe Biden has long supported the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. But three important factors have shifted the context in recent years, making US participation more important than ever. His administration should invest effort and resources into persuading the Senate to finally ratify it.
Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping

India–China border dispute: the curious incident of a nuclear dog that didn’t bark

The nuclear dimension of the recent border clashes was conspicuous by its invisibility. Can the rest of the world learn from it?
James N. Miller

No to no first use—for now

Today, US policy is to consider the first use of nuclear weapons only in “extreme circumstances,” and only against adversaries who have nuclear weapons or are not in compliance with their Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations.

Policy makers should plan for superintelligent AI, even if it never happens

Policymakers should plan for artificial superintelligence systems by building governing systems and necessary infrastructure.
climate activists at cop27 holding signs that read we are watching and do something

Has the UN climate change conference gotten too big to work?

Plagued by skirmishes over snack shortages and fossil fuel lobbyists, COP27 illustrated just how hard global cooperation on climate can be.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erogan at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. Credit: www.kremlin.ru CC BY 3.0. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons.

A uniquely Turkish nuclear energy tale

Unlike the international nuclear energy debate, Turkey’s debate has been shaped by its struggle with development, progress, and identity.
The world teetering on a cliff

COVID-19 and the Doomsday Clock: Observations on managing global risk

The coronavirus pandemic is demonstrating the importance of domestic and international governance, not only in the mitigation of and response to global challenges, but also in their prevention.
dandelion mural on side of 12-story city building

“H is For Hope” sounded a bit better than “D is For Despair”: Interview with Elizabeth Kolbert about climate change

Elizabeth Kolbert explains why there is still reason for optimism in the fight against climate change—even if time is short and the odds can seem overwhelming.