Ploughshares Fund Blog

On Thursday, Rachel Maddow asked me if President Obama was going to fulfill the visionary agenda he laid out four years ago in Prague. I paused. What should I say? I support this agenda to move us step by step towards what Obama termed "the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." But progress has been slow. I took a deep breath and answered the only way I could: honestly. Read more »
Posted by Joe Cirincione on April 5, 2013
In honor of National Women’s History Month, each week Ploughshares Fund will be honoring the women who have been instrumental in advocating for nuclear nonproliferation and recognizing leaders in the field.  Since one month is not enough to speak on all the amazing women in nonproliferation, we present you with a Bonus Week! Guest Blogger Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Stimson Center, was kind enough to share her thoughts on nonproliferation and the work being done at Stimson. Read more »
Posted by admin on April 5, 2013
Since its most recent nuclear test on February 12, 2013, there has been a lot of attention to and activity around North Korea. The test – it’s third and most “successful” to date – elicited a predictable response in the passage of additional U.N. Security Council sanctions the. But the fact that the sanctions passed unanimously – with China’s consent – is significant, although it is still unclear if this marks a shift in Chinese policy toward North Korea. In short, the North’s latest behavior seems to have raised the game with respect to the stability and security in Northeast Asia. Read more »
Posted by admin on April 2, 2013
In honor of National Women’s History Month, each week Ploughshares Fund will be honoring the women who have been instrumental in advocating for nuclear nonproliferation and recognizing future leaders in the field. This week we look at how one woman is continuing the work her grandmother started 30 years ago. Rachel Pike, granddaughter of our founder Sally Lilienthal and current Ploughshares Fund Board Member, was gracious enough to answer our questions. Read more »
Posted by Jessica Sleight on March 29, 2013
In honor of National Women’s History Month, each week Ploughshares Fund will be honoring the women who have been instrumental in advocating for nuclear nonproliferation. This week we explore the role of the younger generation of women in nonproliferation efforts and the future of nonproliferation advocacy. We spoke with Kelsey Davenport, a Nonproliferation Analyst for the Arms Control Association, a Ploughshares Fund Grantee, and one of the up and coming women leaders on nuclear issues. Read more »
Posted by Jessica Sleight on March 21, 2013
We've doubled down on a defense that doesn't work against missiles that don't exist. Read more »
Posted by Joe Cirincione on March 21, 2013
In honor of National Women’s History Month, each week Ploughshares Fund will be honoring the women who have been instrumental in advocating for nuclear nonproliferation. This week we are highlighting the work of two incredible women who helped push for a ban on atmospheric nuclear testing: Dr. Louise Reiss and Dagmar Wilson. Read more »
Posted by Jessica Sleight on March 15, 2013
In honor of International Women’s Day today, March 8, and National Women’s History Month, each week Ploughshares Fund will be honoring the women who have been instrumental in advocating nuclear nonproliferation. Our first post recounts the invaluable work of Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, Rose Gottemoeller. Read more »
Posted by Jessica Sleight on March 8, 2013
Next week marks the second anniversary of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima reactors in Japan. Remember? The days and weeks we collectively crossed our fingers as heroic workers improvised and threw everything they could at melting reactors and damaged spent fuel pools to stave off disaster? Seems like a long time gone and Fukushima has, in our collective consciousness, faded into a historical nuclear footnote. “Close call,” we may think, “but the danger is over.” Not quite. In fact, not even close. Read more »
Posted by Paul Carroll on March 7, 2013
Today, Foreign Affairs published "Obama's Nuclear Future: The Battle to Reduce the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Begins" by Joe Cirincione. He looks at the past and likely future of President Obama's policies and how we might finally break the grip of Cold War thinking on our nuclear posture. Read more »
Posted by admin on March 6, 2013