2017 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference
Watch all the action from the 2017 Nuclear Policy Conference online
The 2017 NPC continued for a second day of plenary sessions, high-level keynote speakers, and panel discussions. Click here to watch the morning keynote with NSC Senior Director Christopher Ford. Click here to watch “Proliferation Prognostication: Predicting the Nuclear Future” with Angela Kane, Laura Kennedy, Bruno Tertrais, Ramesh Thakur, and moderated by James Acton. Finally, click here to watch the final plenary session of NPC 2017, “Small Steps or a Giant Leap?: NPT Article VI,” with Susan Burk, Beatrice Fihn, Dell Higgie, George Perkovich, and moderated by Marjolijn Van Deelen. For more information on the conference, and to watch many other exciting livestreamed panels, please click here. Carnegie NPP sincerely thanks all attendees, panelists, & sponsors for their support of the 2017 Nuclear Policy Conference.
Understanding the US–Russia Nuclear Schism
Alexey Arabatov | International Institute for Strategic Studies
After more than two decades in obscurity, nuclear strategy and the threat of Armageddon have returned to the forefront of US–Russia and NATO–Russia relations, reviving old fears and mutual suspicions. In August 2014, at the height of the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared: Our partners, regardless of the situations in their countries or their foreign policies, should always keep in mind that Russia is not to be messed with. I want to remind you that Russia is one of the largest nuclear powers. This is reality, not just words; moreover, we are strengthening our nuclear deterrence forces.
Trump Administration to Review Goal of World Without Nuclear Weapons: Aide
Reuters
The Trump administration is reviewing whether it will reaffirm the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, a White House aide said on Tuesday, referring to an aim embraced by previous Republican and Democratic presidents and required by a key arms control treaty. Christopher Ford, the National Security Council's senior director for weapons of mass destruction and counter-proliferation, said an examination of whether global nuclear disarmament "is a realistic goal," would be conducted as part of a wider assessment called the Nuclear Policy Review.
North Korea Has Doubled Size of Uranium-Enrichment Facility, IAEA Chief Says
Jay Solomon | Wall Street Journal
North Korea has doubled the size of its facility for enriching uranium in recent years, according to the United Nations’ top nuclear inspector, who voiced doubt that a diplomatic agreement can end leader Kim Jong Un’s weapons programs. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described North Korea as rapidly advancing its capacity to produce nuclear weapons on two fronts: the production of plutonium at its Yongbyon nuclear facility and the enrichment of uranium.
India Could Strike Pakistan with Nuclear Weapons If Threatened, Says Expert
Yashwant Raj | Hindustan Times
There is increasing evidence that India could launch a preemptive first strike against Pakistan if it feared a nuclear attack was imminent, in a marked reversal of its well-known no-first use policy, according to a leading nuclear strategist. But this first strike will not be aimed at urban centres and conventional targets of a retaliatory strike intended to punish and prevent an escalation, but against Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal, to preempt a nuclear attack altogether.
Dems Warns Trump Nuclear Push Would Suck Money From Budget
Hill
The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee warned President Trump on Wednesday that if he launches new nuclear programs, it will suck “all of the money out of the budget.” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said costly nuclear programs would pull money away from shipbuilding, military readiness and other priorities.