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Washington should act to end its reliance on the Pakistani security establishment so that it can more effectively promote civilian political and economic development in the country.
While the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima reactors is likely to slow but not terminate nuclear programs in most countries currently operating nuclear power plants, it may significantly affect the ambitions of countries who had intended to deploy new reactors in the next decade.
It remains to be seen whether a progressive international nuclear order can be built when states differ over which rules should be strengthened and how they should be enforced, and when some rulers reject the norms that others respect.
While India's space program has largely been civilian-run, the country's military is increasingly interested in expanding operations to defend against threats to its space assets.
As the U.S. government expands its efforts to trim the federal budget, the devastation and global fears caused by Japan’s nuclear disaster clearly demonstrate the importance of continued funding for nuclear security.
As NATO debates its future nuclear policy, it should focus on concrete measures to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent in the medium term and avoid abstract debates over complete disarmament or the need to keep nuclear weapons indefinitely.
While the damage done to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant should not be seen as a blanket verdict against nuclear power, countries developing nuclear energy programs must take additional steps to protect their nuclear installations against external events.
Success at the 2015 Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference depends on genuine progress toward disarmament by nuclear weapon states and global and regional commitment to the creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East.
As U.S. policy seeks to create the conditions that would allow for deep reductions in nuclear arsenals, the United States and Russia can undertake a practical approach to their stockpiles to 500 nuclear warheads each and those of other nuclear-armed states to no more than about half that number.
The incident at Fukushima has reminded Japan that a serious accident in an advanced country can happen at any time. While Japan should reassess how dependent upon nuclear power it should be in the longer term, the Fukushima accident is not a blanket verdict against its use.