Nuclear Issues

On March 13, President Vladimir Putin granted an interview, in which he again delved into the conditions under which he says he would initiate the use of nuclear weapons. His remarks were so ambiguous that it caused mainstream Western media organizations—which tend to agree on what to emphasize in news out of the Kremlin—to put divergent headlines on the news stories that they ran about this particular interview. “Putin, in Pre-Election Messaging, Is Less Strident on Nuclear War. The Russian leader struck a softer tone about nuclear weapons in an interview with state television,” was the NYT’s headline. In contrast, the FT’s headline was “Russia ‘prepared’ for nuclear war, warns Vladimir Putin. President resumes bullish rhetoric over use of atomic arsenal if west threatens Moscow’s sovereignty,” while CBS News ran with “Putin again threatens to use nuclear weapons, claims Russia's arsenal ‘much more’ advanced than America's” and WSJ led with “Putin Rattles Nuclear Saber Ahead of Presidential Elections; Raising specter of nuclear confrontation.” So, which is it? Has Putin just struck a softer tone about nuclear weapons or has he rattled his nuclear saber yet again? The answer is both.

The relevance of Kennedy’s speech to the current U.S.-Russia arms control situation is clear: it calls for a return to diplomacy, open dialogue, and a recognition of shared interests, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. 

With his vision and statesmanship, President Kennedy demonstrated that strength lies in the pursuit of peace and not war.

The world is likely to continue to live with a nuclear disorder with nuclear arms race and proliferation. Unfortunately, it may take another major nuclear crisis for the world to heed President Kennedy’s warning in his 1963 American University speech.

This anniversary is a reminder that nuclear weapons have dramatically raised the value of a certain political style. We cannot wait for another brush with annihilation to relearn the virtues of compromise, coexistence, and genuine great power peace.

In “A Strategy of Peace,” President Kennedy outlined a gradual evolution toward genuine peace, a dynamic process to bridge the evident divide between the two major nuclear powers of the day. Over fifty years later, President Obama’s address in Prague echoed many of Kennedy’s core themes: the danger posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons and the need for cooperation in the face of seemingly intractable differences. 

Recap of MEI Event "From the Iranian Revolution to the Kabul Withdrawal"