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Article: Delegitimizing nuclear weapons: the United States should take the lead in making the use of nuclear weapons unacceptable under any but the most extenuating circumstances.
- Article from:
- Issues in Science and Technology
- Article date:
- March 22, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Academy of Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The most urgent national security issue facing the United States is the possibility that a nuclear weapon might be used against this nation as an instrument of war or terror. If we are to avoid such a catastrophe and its unprecedented environmental, economic, and social effects, this threat must be addressed vigorously and soon.
Facing up to the threat will require more than tracking down terrorists or warning rogue states that they will be held accountable for their actions. It will require delegitimizing nuclear weapons as usable instruments of warfare and relegating them to a deterrent role or, in certain cases, to weapons of last resort. This policy change ...