The Center for International Security and Cooperation is a center of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
Nuclear Risk
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What Happens If There’s A Nuclear Attack
April 2022
Nearly 70% of Americans surveyed by the American Psychological Association said they worry the invasion of Ukraine could potentially lead to nuclear war and they fear that we could be at the...
The truth about nuclear deterrence
March 2022
Putin might well believe that a world without Russia in its rightful position of power is not worth existing. We can’t be sure of what Putin is thinking, or whether his decision making is compromised...
Key nuclear treaty review plagued by COVID delays as distrust grows
January 2022
Today’s security environment calls for a renewed commitment to nonproliferation. No country alone can reverse adverse developments in Iran and dissuade others from seeking nuclear arsenals. Effective...
What are hypersonic missiles and why do they matter?
November 2021
Following a recent test in China, Cameron Tracy talks to the BBC about a new breed of hypersonic missiles and whether they will make the world a more dangerous place.
China's Hypersonic Weapons Tests Don't Have to be a Sputnick Moment
October 2021
China conducted a series of tests with nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons systems that have gotten the attention of officials across the U.S. government. The tests included a hypersonic glide vehicle...
The Standstill Conundrum: The Advent of Second-Strike Vulnerability and Options to Address It
October 2021
Emerging and disruptive technologies spell an uncertain future for second-strike retaliatory forces. New sensors and big data analysis may render mobile missiles and submarines vulnerable to...
The North Korean Nuclear Question Revisited: Facts, Myths and Uncertainties
September 2021
Facts are difficult to come by, myths are deeply ingrained, and uncertainties lurk everywhere — that, in short, is the nature of North Korea’s nuclear program.
Strengthen U.S. Security Through Nuclear Arms Reductions
September 2021
Biden has an opportunity to bolster deterrence, reduce proliferation risks, and lower the risk of nuclear war.
China's nuclear build-up: The great distraction
September 2021
President Biden is reviewing America’s nuclear posture. By January, we should know what he thinks about U.S. nuclear weapons, what policies should govern them and how many we need. Congress is...
Reimagining the Open Skies Treaty: cooperative aerial monitoring
June 2021
From the moment, President Biden and President Putin extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in February, they created hope that although the US-Russian relationship is in dire...
Stanford Experts Weigh In on What to Expect at the Biden-Putin Summit
June 2021
Scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies hope that President Joe Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will lay the groundwork for negotiations in the near...
Negotiating with Russia and the Art of the Nuclear Arms Deal
June 2021
Rose Gottemoeller discusses “Negotiating the New START Treaty,” her new book detailing how she negotiated a 30 percent reduction in U.S.-Russia strategic nuclear warheads.
The Illegality of Targeting Civilians by Way of Belligerent Reprisal: Implications for U.S. Nuclear Doctrine
May 2021
Scott Sagan and Allen Weiner argue that for legal, ethical, and strategic reasons, it is time for the United States to affirmatively recognize the customary international law prohibition on targeting...
Biden puts US national security first in extending New START Treaty
January 2021
Extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, with Russia was one of President Biden’s first foreign policy acts after he took the oath of office on Jan. 20. The treaty would have...
As defense spending comes under fire, don't make nuclear war more likely
January 2021
Defense spending will come under pressure in an era of trillion-dollar COVID-19 deficits. As a result, the Defense Department will need to make trade-offs that it previously could avoid.
Does the Noncombatant Immunity Norm Have Stopping Power? A Debate
December 2020
After years of researching American public opinion on the use of nuclear weapons and the ethics, we found the levels of public support for a strike that violated ethical and legal principles to be...
A Nuclear Strike Should Require More than One Person’s Order
November 2020
Donald Trump has proven to be volatile, erratic, vengeful and prone to angry outbursts. Last week, as the vote count pushed his reelection bid out of sight, he reportedly fell into a dark mood.
The United States Must Avoid a Nuclear Arms Race with China
September 2020
Oriana Skylar Mastro explains why U.S. nuclear policy needs to minimize the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S.-China great power competition and pave the way for arms control.
Rethinking Nuclear Arms Control
September 2020
Where is nuclear arms control—negotiated restraints on the deadliest weapons of mass destruction—headed? This 50-year tool of US national security policy is currently under attack.
Nuclear Weapons: It’s Time for Sole Purpose
September 2020
The “sole purpose” of U.S. nuclear weapons should be to deter and—if necessary, retaliate against—a nuclear attack. This would mark a significant change in U.S. nuclear policy, eliminating ambiguity...
What Do The Doomsday Clock And The Presidential Election Have In Common?
August 2020
Herb Lin discusses how close we are to midnight, which is to say, human annihilation.
Hiroshima and the Myths of Military Targets and Unconditional Surrender
August 2020
Every year, in early August, new articles appear that debate whether the dropping of the atomic bombs in 1945 was justified. Earlier this month, the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
New START: Why An Extension Is In America's National Interest
August 2020
Failing to renew the New START arms control treaty with Russia “is not a wise direction of travel,” said Rose Gottemoeller, a former Deputy Secretary General of NATO who ranked as one of President...
A statement on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 2020
The Science and Security Board calls on all countries to reject the fantasy that nuclear weapons can provide a permanent basis for global security and to refrain from pursuing new nuclear weapons...
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