US Opinion and Commentary

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Nuclear Nightmares, From Bin Laden to Brussels

Posted April 1st, 2016 at 12:24 pm (UTC-5)
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We’re sure delegates from more than 50 nations are patting themselves on the back for all their progress over the past six years…. Our conclusion: There’s been progress, but it’s short of awesome.

How We Can Make Our Vision of a World Without Nuclear Weapons a Reality

Posted March 31st, 2016 at 11:24 am (UTC-5)
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Given the continued threat posed by organizations such as the terrorist group we call ISIL, or ISIS, we’ll also join allies and partners in reviewing our counterterrorism efforts, to prevent the world’s most dangerous networks from obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapons.

Thinking the Unthinkable

Posted March 30th, 2016 at 2:59 pm (UTC-5)
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In 1945, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. It was devastating, historic and, ultimately, ended the Second World War. Some 70 years later, the frightening prospect of nuclear weapons falling into hands of terrorist organizations (think ISIS or the Taliban), who have proven their appetite for brutality again and again. On Thursday, President Barack Obama will host his fourth—and final—Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, where more than 50 heads of state will entertain that very notion, and how to ensure it never happens. Two key world figures are not attending: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Iran’s absence appears more notable given the landmark nuclear deal with America and five other world powers. Experts say approaching such a terrifying possibility requires rethinking how we cope with the existence of nuclear arms. The Cold War mentality must make way for a far more fractured globe and the rise of ultra-fundamentalist Islam.