NCJ Number
236749
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2011 Pages: 243-259
Date Published
August 2011
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the American nuclear weapons policy.
Abstract
Given the long history of U.S. State crimes related to nuclear weapons and the aggressive unilateralism of the George W. Bush administration that compounded these crimes, the election of Barack Obama created a "hope" for "change" in American nuclear weapons policy. While it is too early to render any conclusive judgment, the authors offer a preliminary assessment of the Obama record with regard to nuclear weapons based on a number of significant policy statements made and official actions taken, including Obama's 2009 Prague speech, the signing of the new START agreement in April 2010, the administration's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, the Washington DC Nuclear Security Summit, and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference of 2010. Although the new administration has taken some steps to reduce the likelihood of the use or threat to use nuclear weapons, the authors conclude that under President Obama the United States continues to be in violation of the solemn legal obligation to disarm as imposed by the NPT treaty of 1968. The authors also briefly note some of the structural and cultural factors related to the American empire that hinders any president from changing American nuclear weapons policy. (Published Abstract)