Joe Cirincione

Joe Cirincione is unstoppable, making speeches, appearing on television and radio, writing a book, publishing articles and op-eds, all with one a dramatic theme: this is our moment. The moment to set the U.S. and the world on a path toward reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons.

For a man who has dedicated his life to ending the threats posed by nuclear weapons – leading nonproliferation programs at the Center for American Progress and the Carnegie Endowment, working on Capitol Hill as a congressional staff member – the confluence of global political changes that have opened the door to this opportunity is breathtaking.  “Rarely have the political stars aligned so dramatically,” he says. Cirincione joined Ploughshares Fund as president in March 2008 just as the moment began to unfold. “I believe that Ploughshares is uniquely positioned to seize this opportunity by combining three things: One, an increased grantmaking capability to target individuals and organizations that can make a real difference. Two, a network of these organizations that can knit together these policy initiatives to maximize their impact. And finally, expertise. We finally have at Ploughshares Fund the capacity to shape a powerful strategy to reach clear, attainable policy goals in the short term.”

 “I’ve talked to a lot of people who support the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world but don’t think it’s possible,” he says. “I want to remind them of the sweeping changes that we’ve seen in the past 20 years, of how many things people thought were impossible.  I have seen in my lifetime the elimination of chemical and biological weapons from the arsenals of major powers.  I have seen the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, majority rule come to South Africa, Catholics and Protestants unite in Northern Ireland.  I’ve seen the Red Sox win the World Series. Twice.  So don’t tell me this isn’t possible.  We can do this.”