What's Wrong with America's Nuclear Hawks?
Abstract
President Obama's pledge during an April 2009 speech in Prague to eliminate nuclear weapons from the US arsenal has been condemned by many military strategists. There are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed with any nuclear reduction; unfortunately, many "nuclear hawks" create false, scary-sounding concerns to argue that disarmament is impractical. Dr. Charles E. Costanzo's "What's Wrong with Zero?" in the summer issue of Strategic Studies Quarterly is a recent and flamboyant example of this nuclear scaremongering. Dr. Costanzo claims that no other recognized nuclear weapons state (NWS) shares Obama's disarmament goal. He emphasizes other NWSs' modernization plans while ignoring how modest they seem compared to US modernization. He also neglected to observe the work these countries have already done to reduce their reliance on nuclear weapons. In many cases it is more than the United States'. An honest comparison of modernization plans and the history of nuclear disarmament treaties shows that despite President Obama's stated desire to eliminate nuclear weapons, he will find more opposition domestically than abroad.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA533950
Entities
People
- Michael Izbicki
Organizations
- Air University