|
|
Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Other warfare & defence issues > Arms negotiation & control
A new approach to nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and the
prevention of nuclear terrorism that focuses on controlling the
production and stockpiling of nuclear materials. Achieving nuclear
disarmament, stopping nuclear proliferation, and preventing nuclear
terrorism are among the most critical challenges facing the world
today. Unmaking the Bomb proposes a new approach to reaching these
long-held goals. Rather than considering them as separate issues,
the authors-physicists and experts on nuclear security-argue that
all three of these goals can be understood and realized together if
we focus on the production, stockpiling, and disposal of plutonium
and highly enriched uranium-the fissile materials that are the key
ingredients used to make nuclear weapons. The authors describe the
history, production, national stockpiles, and current military and
civilian uses of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, and propose
policies aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating these fissile
materials worldwide. These include an end to the production of
highly enriched uranium and plutonium for weapons, an end to their
use as reactor fuels, and the verified elimination of all national
stockpiles.
The decade of the 1990's ushered in an astonishing round of
unilateral and bilateral nuclear arms reduction. While the
dissolution of the Soviet Union has greatly reduced the possibility
of global nuclear war, it has also increased third world
instability, conflict, and proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. The book begins with a historical look at the role
nuclear weapons have played in U.S. defense policy since 1945,
reviews current unclassified guidance and the spectrum of public
opinion on where the U.S. should be going with its nuclear weapon
programs and then surveys the potential threat of weapons of mass
destruction. The author's recommendations address a broad range of
issues that focus on developing a coherent nuclear strategy.
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to many observers
that the Department of Defense must better communicate to the
officers at the tactical end of the nuclear mission a rationale for
nuclear weapons and deterrence, the critical role that they play in
the post-Cold War strategy of the United States, and the value of
nuclear weapons to the security of the American people. This report
tracks the changing conceptual and political landscape of U.S.
nuclear deterrence to illuminate the gap in prioritizing the
nuclear arsenal and to build a compelling rationale for tactical
personnel explaining the role and value of U.S. nuclear weapons.
The volume 40 (Part I) compiles the disarmament resolutions and
decisions of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, the
voting patterns in the General Assembly and the First Committee
report and dates of their adoption.
|
|