When President Obama announced his nuclear arms control agenda in an April 2009 speech in Prague, he declared his intention to quickly secure three international agreements: a sequel to the U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. However, as the long negotiations and ongoing ratification process for the New START agreement suggest, it is not certain how long it will take the administration to advance its nuclear agenda or whether it will even succeed.
Given the current political will to reduce global nuclear dangers, can the United States also pursue a set of arms control measures that could quickly find bipartisan support and be implemented without necessarily securing the legal consent of other states?
This briefing was hosted by Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), co-founder of the Congressional Nuclear Security Caucus, and Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA), founder of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation.
Is Bipartisan Nuclear Arms Control Possible?
The long negotiations and ongoing ratification process for the New START agreement suggests that it is not certain how long it will take the Obama administration to advance its nuclear agenda or whether it will even succeed.
More work from Carnegie
U.S. Nuclear PolicyThe United States faces a series of critically important decisions on nuclear procurement, posture, and declaratory policy. Which policies will best ensure effective deterrence while minimizing the risks of escalation and arms racing?
NATO’s Northeast Countries Have a Template for Europe’s New Security RealityRamping up the Joint Expeditionary Force would contribute to European security and prepare the continent for a second Trump administration.
Europe’s Wake-Up Call for Tech LeadershipEurope’s digital future cannot hinge on Washington’s whims or the outcome of elections every four years. To achieve a level of technological autonomy, Europe needs targeted investments and responsible innovation in key sectors.
Bashar al-Assad of Syria Has Been Ousted From PowerSpot analysis from Carnegie scholars on events relating to the Middle East and North Africa.
Why Did Iran Allow Bashar al-Assad’s Downfall?Tehran may have assumed there would be opportunities to exploit in Syria’s likely instability in the future.
