Sam Nunn
Founding Chair, NTI
Perry, Kissinger, Nunn in the WSJ: Building on George Shultz’s Vision of a World Without Nuclear Weapons
Henry A. Kissinger
Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., former U.S. Secretary of State
William J. Perry
19th U.S. Secretary of Defense
For the past 15 years, the three of us and a distinguished group of American and international former officials and experts have been deftly and passionately led by our late friend and colleague, George Shultz. Our mission: reversing the world’s reliance on nuclear weapons, to prevent their proliferation into potentially dangerous hands, and ultimately ending them as a threat to the world. Without a bold vision, practical actions toward that goal won’t be perceived as fair or urgent. Without action, the vision won’t be perceived as realistic or possible.
George led this charge with the tenacity of a U.S. Marine and the wisdom of a man who held four cabinet positions for two presidents, including secretary of state for Ronald Reagan. Reagan considered nuclear weapons to be “totally irrational, totally inhumane, good for nothing but killing, possibly destructive of life on earth and civilization.” He took that view and his most trusted advocate for it, George Shultz, to a summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986.
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Reducing Nuclear Risks: Six Practical Options
This paper outlines six practical options that non-nuclear weapon states could pursue to reduce nuclear risks amid heightened geopolitical tensions. The options were developed based on interviews with nuclear policy experts from around the world. They reflect priority areas where government investment could have the most near- to medium-term impact, as well as the tools and channels through which these efforts could be advanced.
Global Nuclear Fail-Safe Reviews: Meeting Summaries and Resources
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG), Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN), and European Leadership Network (ELN) have worked since March 2020 to highlight the benefits of independent, internal “fail-safe” reviews in nuclear-armed states.
Global Nuclear Effects: Economic and Financial Fallout of Nuclear Use
Despite the high stakes, the economic and financial considerations of nuclear weapons use remain underexplored. This paper examines several decades of research on economic and financial effects of nuclear weapons use, and explores the key gaps in our understanding of effects in today’s interconnected world.