Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell wrote an op-ed in Defense News about four steps President-elect and longtime Council endorsee Joe Biden must take to reset the nuclear agenda.
While the danger of nuclear weapons was rarely mentioned on the presidential campaign trail, the nuclear weapons policy approaches of the two candidates stood in stark contrast. In the end, the American public rejected a president — one who made both casual and overt threats of nuclear war and repeatedly referred to the most destructive force ever created by humankind as “the nuclear” — for a candidate who agrees with former President Ronald Reagan’s assertion that a nuclear war can never be won, and so must never be fought.
In choosing President-elect Joe Biden, the country can be assured that the United States will once again pursue a leadership role in global nuclear risk-reduction efforts. Understanding that every single nuclear challenge facing the United States has grown since 2016, the 2020 Democratic platform laid out an ambitious agenda to deal with this reality. Biden also outlined his priorities for arms control and nonproliferation in his Foreign Affairs article and Council for a Livable World questionnaire. It is heartening to see a general frame already in place, since there will not be a moment to waste upon entering office. Read more
