Debating 21st Century Nuclear Issues

This edited collection presents the perspectives of a new generation of strategic thinkers on some of the principal issues facing today’s nuclear policymakers. Written by members of the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI), a professional network with over 600 members, Debating 21st Century Nuclear Issues explores questions related to U.S. ownership of a post–Cold War nuclear deterrent: today’s evolving threats; proliferation; ongoing modernization by other nuclear powers; aging infrastructure; and the relative disinterest by the public and lawmakers in things nuclear. Recognizing the dichotomy of political effects of linking stockpile and infrastructure modernization with nonproliferation, international relations, and domestic politics, the chapters identify potential approaches for consideration by the U.S legislative and executive branches of government. Together, the chapters seek to identify models and policy options that should allow successive U.S. administrations to address key barriers to success in nuclear policy.

Owen C.W. Price was a visiting fellow in the CSIS International Security Program from 2006 though early 2007, on leave from the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment, where he has worked for 12 years. Jenifer Mackby is a fellow in the CSIS International Security Program. Earlier, she served as a senior political affairs officer in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.