Toward a Meaningful Arms Control Regime
This piece from Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joe DeTrani was first published in The Washington Times OPINION — If corrective actions aren’t taken immediately, the […] More
arms control
Arms Control for Cyber
Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph R. DeTrani was the former special envoy for negotiations with North Korea from 2003-2006 and was the former director of […] More
Remembering Brent Scowcroft’s Accomplishments on Arms Control
OPINION – One way to remember Brent Scowcroft’s major contributions to U.S. national security and foreign policy is to read the oral history he recorded […] More
The Problem(s) with the Administration’s Approach to Arms Control and Open Skies
OPINION — Last week, President Trump announced that the U.S. was giving six months’ notice that it would be pulling out of another international agreement, […] More
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The U.S.- Russian Venn Diagram
Tuesday’s meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi, Russia, was the result of a recent phone […] More
Passing the ‘Football’: The Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy
At 12:00PM on Friday, Jan. 20, the nuclear “football,” a briefcase containing the launch codes for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, was passed to a new […] More
The Case for Arms Control and Drawing Down Nuclear Forces
The pursuit of nuclear arms control agreements and other efforts to draw down nuclear forces to reduce nuclear dangers is a goal that is almost […] More
Staying the Course on Nuclear Modernization
This year, the Donald J. Trump administration will review the state of U.S. nuclear forces, the nation’s nuclear policy and posture, and how it fits […] More
President Obama’s Legacy: Arms Exporter in Chief
As President Barack Obama heads out of office, he leaves behind an unexpected legacy: as arms exporter-in-chief. “The Obama administration has made more major arms […] More
No Alternative in Sight
Since June 2016, there has been a spirited debate in Washington regarding the U.S. adoption of a No-First-Use (NFU) policy. A NFU policy would be […] More
NFU is Good Nuclear Policy
Geopolitical tensions have risen in Europe since the Russia-Ukraine crisis in 2014; in South Asia with the flare-up in Kashmir; and in East Asia with […] More
Nuclear No First Use: Ambiguity vs. Clarity
In a Presidential race dominated by immigration, trade, and an almost unprecedented level of political mudslinging, one could be forgiven for missing moderator Lester Holt’s […] More
The Role of Arms Control
Hypersonic weapons will be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, yet so far there is little discussion on the role of arms control. The Cipher Brief […] More
The Case for No-First-Use
The conditions under which a U.S. president might use nuclear weapons has in recent weeks become a topic of national conversation. Toward the end of […] More
Russia's Record on Arms Compliance: Getting Worse
With the conclusion of the final Nuclear Security Summit, Russia and the United States – the possesors of the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals – […] More