Source: Current History

Nuclear disarmament appears to be on track for a political makeover. Serious commentators have begun to discuss what it might take to actually get to zero nuclear weapons, a question that is no longer the exclusive purview of grassroots activists. No one believes the goal will be achieved any time soon. But a consensus has emerged that the project of disarmament must be taken seriously if the world is to avoid further proliferation of nuclear weapons, perhaps into the hands of terrorists.

Until about two years ago, few but the most ardent antinuclear groups advocated outright elimination of nuclear weapons. Arms control advocates lobbied for fewer strategic nuclear weapons, less threatening alert postures, a continued ban on nuclear testing, and limited or no modernization of existing stockpiles, among other things. When cornered, US government officials would note that Article VI of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) calls for negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament. In short, there was a safety valve on just how far the project of nuclear disarmament could proceed and certainly no timetable for reaching any particular goals.

Reprinted with permission from Current History (Issue 714, January 2009), © Current History, Inc.