Nuclear Strategy & Nonproliferation Initiative: Latest Articles

Disappearing Act: Rendition by the Numbers

Ron Tang — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

An extraordinary rendition may be defined as the extrajudicial transfer of an individual to a country where there is reasonable probability he will be tortured. In our research we have counted 67 known cases of extraordinary rendition by the United States since 1995. While the details are often incomplete, they help paint a more complete picture of this secretive and controversial Central Intelligence Agency program.

Our research is based on reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU Law School, Andy Worthington's The Guantanamo Files, Stephen… more

Five Myths About the Bomb and Us

adminn — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:42:00 -0500

The Bush administration likes to boast that it has dramatically cut the size of the nation's nuclear stockpile. Meanwhile, it's busily trying to shore up congressional support for multibillion-dollar proposals to "modernize" the bristling U.S. arsenal. A world that's skeptical about the last superpower's intentions only gets more so when U.S. officials push unconvincing lines about the world's deadliest weapons. So here are a few myths about the U.S. nuclear posture of which the administration seems particularly fond.

1. The U.S. nuclear stockpile is the smallest since the Eisenhower administration.

A recent statement from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State… more

Nuclear Weapons in the Age of al-Qaeda

Articles — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:06:00 -0400

Should the US ever rule out the use of nuclear weapons in particular circumstances?

This question is at the heart of the latest exchange between senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as they compete for the presidential nomination of the Democratic party.

The tussle began when Mr. Obama told a reporter that he would rule out using nuclear weapons in Afghanistan or Pakistan to target al-Qaeda as "a profound mistake." Mrs. Clinton countered by suggesting it was unwise to be specific about this issue. "I don’t believe any president should make blanket statements with the regard to use or non-use" of nuclear… more