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At least nine nations are believed to have nuclear weapons – the United States, Russia, England, France, China, Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel. Other nations may have nuclear weapons or are working towards them, most notably Iran. At the height of the Cold War in 1985, there were believed to be 65,000 nuclear weapons in the world. As a result of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and unilateral decisions by some countries, this number has been reduced to about 20,000.
An undated image released by the U.S. Government shows the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor building under construction in Syria (REUTERS/U.S. Government).
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Lessons of the Syrian Reactor
May 1, 2013, Bruce Riedel
Bruce Riedel writes that while Israel’s covert attack on Syria’s Al Kibar nuclear plant was a strategic success, the U.S. policy process was not. Riedel looks at what happens when the policy-intelligence system breaks down dramatically and publicly.
Refine by: Nonproliferation | Weapons of Mass Destruction | weapons | Arms Control
In the News
[Kim Jong Un] is trying to show that he has a strategic mind, that the military stands behind him and that no one stands against him. April 13, 2013, Kongdan Oh, Washington Post
[Kim Jong Un] is trying to show that he has a strategic mind, that the military stands behind him and that no one stands against him.
Interview | WKAR
March 20, 2013, Steven Pifer
[U.S. support for a U.N. inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea could prompt other nations] especially those on the fence, to come forward in support of the initiative. February 20, 2013, Roberta Cohen, Washington Post
[U.S. support for a U.N. inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea could prompt other nations] especially those on the fence, to come forward in support of the initiative.
Expert Q & A | Richard C. Bush III and Jonathan D. Pollack
February 14, 2013, Richard C. Bush III and Jonathan D. Pollack
These [ground-based missile] interceptors in Alaska and California are believed to have some capability against a rudimentary intercontinental ballistic missile warhead of the kind that you would expect North Korea to have initially. But how good they would actually be, we don’t know. But there is some capability to protect America already deployed. February 14, 2013, Steven Pifer, Voice of America
These [ground-based missile] interceptors in Alaska and California are believed to have some capability against a rudimentary intercontinental ballistic missile warhead of the kind that you would expect North Korea to have initially. But how good they would actually be, we don’t know. But there is some capability to protect America already deployed.
Expert Q & A | Steven Pifer
February 13, 2013, Steven Pifer
Interview | United States Institute of Peace
February 4, 2013, Bruce Riedel
Expert Q & A | Suzanne Maloney
January 15, 2013, Suzanne Maloney
I assume the president [Obama] has a more ambitious arms control agenda for his second term.…If he wants another treaty as part of his legacy, it has to be done in time for a ratification debate in 2015, not in the 2016 election year. December 3, 2012, Steven Pifer, Los Angeles Times
I assume the president [Obama] has a more ambitious arms control agenda for his second term.…If he wants another treaty as part of his legacy, it has to be done in time for a ratification debate in 2015, not in the 2016 election year.
[Nonproliferation is] going to be very high on [Obama’s] agenda. Preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons is a critical imperative for bolstering the nonproliferation regime. November 7, 2012, Martin S. Indyk, Reuters
[Nonproliferation is] going to be very high on [Obama’s] agenda. Preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons is a critical imperative for bolstering the nonproliferation regime.
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Steven Pifer will speak on "Next Steps in Nuclear Arms Control" on May 15 at 1:30 pm at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
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Bruce Riedel
Director, The Intelligence Project
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence
Stephen P. Cohen
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence
James E. Goodby
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies
View All Experts on Nuclear Weapons »