Nation States

Posted: January 19th, 2016

By Sharon Squassoni

Sharon Squassoni has directed the Proliferation Prevention Program at CSIS since 2010. From 2002-2007, Squassoni advised Congress as a senior specialist in weapons of mass destruction at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. She also served in the executive branch of government from 1992 to 2001, including in the Nonproliferation Bureau and the Political-Military Bureau at the Department of State and in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

President Barack Obama spent much of his last State of the Union address dwelling on domestic issues, but he also pointedly reminded Americans that the United States is the most powerful nation on earth. Our commander-in-chief acknowledged that it’s still a dangerous world out there but pinned that on failing states, not evil empires.

It’s true that the United States does not face the kinds of existential threats that propelled us into an arms race with the Soviet Union. Together, we topped out (in 1986) at 63 thousand nuclear weapons. Thankfully, both the United States and Russia managed to back away from the nuclear precipice. Still, the 10 thousand remaining nuclear weapons are enough to irradiate pretty much the entire planet.

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