Now showing: Countdown to Zero
A new movie for nuclear abolition attracts criticism from surprising quarters.
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Israel ponders a nuclear Iran
In his new book, The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel's Bargain with the Bomb, Avner Cohen asks: Would a nuclear Iran mean the end of Israel's policy of nuclear opacity?
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Assessing the NPT conference
A necessary political success, this year's conference has far-reaching implications.
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Involving the public in nuclear terrorism preparedness: Reflections on the Washington Nuclear Summit
The global challenge of nuclear and radiological terrorism demands a global response—and public involvement.
Synthetic biology: Harbinger of an uncertain future?
Getting to grips with the implications of the rapid advances in the life sciences.
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Neuroethicists are not saying enough about the problem of dual-use
Potential hostile misuses of neurotechnologies and neurological drugs should be examined as new dual-use issues emerge.
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The security implications of nanotechnology
Although nanotechnology offers much hope, it also has dual-use potential that must be addressed. Past attempts to control chemical and biological weapons are instructive but inadequate.
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The state of biological investigations
International capabilities must be supported and improved to respond to alleged uses of biological agents.
A brief history of climate change and conflict
By identifying specific historical cases where a changing climate contributed to social instability, we can learn a lot about what today's societies can do to cope with climate change.
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Avoid hyperbole, oversimplification when climate and security meet
More and more, climate change is becoming part of the national security dialogue. We must tackle the dangers without exaggerating the threats from still-unfolding changes.
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Climate change and security
How is global warming affecting existing competition for resources and changing international security priorities? A survey of recent research shows how complex the picture could become.
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The human-climate-wildlife nexus
As more and more diseases are discovered to be of animal origin and the effects of climate change on disease become clearer, now is the time to examine how best to mobilize health professionals, policy makers, and security experts around these connections.
Reprocessing is the answer
Advanced reprocessing technologies offer a path toward ending the use of fossil fuels, allowing the United States to be energy independent, and reducing the threat of proliferation.
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The history of Iran's nuclear energy program
For more than 30 years, Tehran has looked for ways to achieve a nuclear power capability--the same amount of time Washington has spent trying to deter it.
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Creating the ultimate nuclear reactor
Several next-generation nuclear reactor designs hold the promise of almost completely solving the worst concerns about nuclear energy. There is still a long way to go, however, before we see the “ultimate reactor” in operation.
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Reassessing the nuclear renaissance
A historical perspective reveals some unanticipated possibilities for the next 20 years.
Web Edition
Columnists
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Profile
Synthetic biology: Harbinger of an uncertain future?
Getting to grips with the implications of the rapid advances in the life sciences.
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Profile
Now showing: Countdown to Zero
A new movie for nuclear abolition attracts criticism from surprising quarters.
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Profile
Contending with the new "radioactive patriotism"
Stopping the spread of fissile material technology will require governments to make nonproliferation a high priority over the long haul.
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Profile
The olive branch in the West Bank
Showcasing a world where local Fatah, Hamas, and Israeli activists come together, a new documentary provides a snapshot of what peace looks like between Palestine and Israel.
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Profile
Neuroethicists are not saying enough about the problem of dual-use
Potential hostile misuses of neurotechnologies and neurological drugs should be examined as new dual-use issues emerge.
Analysis
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Israel ponders a nuclear Iran
Would a nuclear Iran mean the end of Israel's policy of nuclear opacity?
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Right-Sizing the "Loose Nukes" Security Budget: Part 2
President Obama's goal to secure vulnerable nuclear weapons around the world demands not only a heftier security budget, but new policy initiatives to frame the mission.
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Bunker mentality: Is NNSA digging itself into a hole at Los Alamos?
Building a new facility to expand the U.S. capacity to make plutonium pits for nuclear warheads would be expensive, unsafe, and completely unnecessary.
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Right-Sizing the "Loose Nukes" Security Budget: Part 1
President Obama has committed the United States to a vital goal--securing vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide--but funding has fallen far short of the levels required to achieve it.
Op-Eds
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The passing of a climate prodigy
Reflections on the life and accomplishments of Stephen Schneider, 1945-2010.
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Missile defense: The future of NATO burden sharing?
In the event that forward-deployed nuclear weapons in Europe are withdrawn, the political role that these weapons perform within NATO could be fulfilled by the European missile defense architecture.
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Gimme shelter: The need for a contemporary civil defense program
Although typically derided as silly, simple civil defense measures such as sheltering-in-place could saves tens of thousands of lives in the event of a nuclear terrorism attack.
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Nuclear exchange: RRW for CTBT?
The Obama administration and Senate Democrats want to ratify the CTBT. But to gain Republican support, they will probably need to agree to fund a new nuclear warhead. Is such a trade-off worth it?
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Advice for the Blue Ribbon Commission
President Barack Obama has convened an expert commission to suggest nuclear waste disposal alternatives to the now abandoned geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. Here's what they should recommend.
Special Topics
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Solutions for Copenhagen
As the climate change meetings kick off in Copenhagen today, many skeptics suggest little progress can be made in the next two weeks. This isn't for lack of solutions. In fact, for months, Bulletin authors have been proposing ways in which to build and support international strategies toward slowing climate change. Are the world's politicians and diplomats listening?
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Semipalatinsk: 60 years later
Between 1949 and 1989, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in what is today Kazakhstan. It did so with little regard for the local population's safety or health. Sixty years have gone by since the first test, but for the Kazakh people, the Soviet testing program still presents a complicated legacy.
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European missile defense reversed
It's official. The Obama administration announced today that the contentious Bush-era missile defense system proposed for Eastern Europe is no more. Russia welcomed the news; Poland and the Czech Republic were dismayed. But it's clear that administration officials agree with what Bulletin experts have said all along--the plan was rife with technical and political problems.
Doomsday Clock
Announcements
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Current Edition
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Assessing the 2010 NPT Review Conference
A necessary political success, this year's conference has far-reaching implications.
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Reassessing the nuclear renaissance
A historical perspective reveals some unanticipated possibilities for the next 20 years.
-
Creating the ultimate nuclear reactor
Several next-generation nuclear reactor designs hold the promise of almost completely solving the worst concerns about nuclear energy. There is still a long way to go, however, before we see the "ultimate reactor" in operation.
-
Involving the public in nuclear terrorism preparedness: Reflections on the Washington Nuclear Summit
The global challenge of nuclear and radiological terrorism demands a global response--and public involvement.