Nuclear weapons in the hands of a few breeds proliferation.

Posted by Deborah Bain
on Aug 29, 2008; 

More than two-thirds of Americans surveyed agreed that possession of nuclear weapons by some countries encourages others to develop their own nuclear arsenals, according to a new Harris poll. The findings, released on the anniversary of nuclear proliferation, when the Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear bomb 59 years ago, suggest the world needs a broader approach for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, a sentiment echoed in an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle.  This week's anniversary "represents an unusual opportunity for the United States and the world to address not just our nuclear past, but what we want for our future."

Funding solutions to loose Russian nukes.

Posted by Deborah Bain
on Aug 27, 2008; From A World of Possibilities

In an interview with Ploughshares Fund Executive Director Naila Bolus, Mark Sommer, host of A World of Possibilities, explores "how foundations use their independence to catalyze dramatic new solutions to the world’s most pressing problems," focusing on a moment as the Cold War was ending, when funders scrambled to find a solution a problem the world had never seen before -- the danger that Soviet nuclear weapons, materials and expertise could find their way into unauthorized hands.  Ploughshares Fund was one of the smallest foundations that rose to the challenge, but its grants have had a lasting impact. "What is important about the way we think about our philanthropy," says Bolus, "is how you can be very strategic, even with small grants.  You can do a lot with a little; you just have to deploy it strategically."  

UCS nuclear ad removed from convention airports.

Posted by Deborah Bain
on Aug 24, 2008; From New York Times

Hoping to draw the attention of delegates and journalists arriving in Denver and St. Paul for the Democratic and Republican conventions, the Ploughshares-funded Union of Concerned Scientists bought billboard space in those cities' airports calling on the candidates to "get serious about ending the nuclear threat."  They warn that “when only one nuclear bomb could destroy a city” like Minneapolis or Denver, “we don’t need 6,000.” But those billboards have been taken down, following a complaint by Northwest Airlines, the official airline of the Republican convention, that the ads were "too scary." 

The war of words over missiles in Poland.

Posted by Deborah Bain
on Aug 21, 2008; 

Ploughshares Fund grantees took to the airwaves yesterday, asked by media organizations to shed light on the escalating tensions with Russia over the crisis with Georgia and missile defenses in Poland.  On the PBS Newshour, host Ray Suarez asked John Isaacs (left), president of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, to explain why the Russians have reacted so strongly to the missile defense deal the U.S. just concluded with Poland.  "It fuels the Russian fears of what they've been saying all along," said Isaacs, "that the missile defense system is really directed at them." 

Pakistan after Musharraf.

on Aug 19, 2008; 

"It is the first time a dictator has been forced to step down by a democratically elected government," says Samina Ahmed in today’s Christian Science Monitor, writing about yesterday’s resignation by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Ahmed, South Asia project director of the Ploughshares-funded Crisis Group, is just one of numerous grantees hoping to shed light on the significance of the resignation.  Selig Harrison of the Center for International Policy told NPR News yesterday that Musharraf's departure presents an opportunity for the U.S. to undo some of the damage caused by its relationship with the former general.  Musharraf played the U.S. "like a fiddle," he said.