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November 2, 2009
| Author: | Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change |
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This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi, author of Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this Council Special Report, Dr. Levi assesses the state of nuclear security in several vulnerable countries and examines how different deterrent threats would affect the dynamics of cooperation and competition to improve nuclear security.
What is a CFR Academic Module?
Academic Modules—featuring teaching notes by the authors of CFR publications—are designed to assist educators in creating or supplementing a course syllabus. The modules are customized packages built around a primary CFR text, such as a book or report, and include teaching notes; additional readings; video, audio, and transcripts of CFR meetings; Foreign Affairs articles; and other online resources. Use of these modules is free of charge. They may be used in part or in their entirety.
September 2008
Council Special Report No. 39
Unlike during the Cold War, the threat of nuclear attack now comes from rogue states that receive their weapons from sovereign nations. In this report, Michael A. Levi outlines how to discourage those nations from giving their nuclear technologies to terrorists, how to prevent accidental transfers, and the role that nuclear attribution plays in contemporary proliferation.
September 23, 2009
An interactive multimedia feature that maps out and evaluates multilateral efforts to address some of the most difficult international issues.
January 28, 2009
An interactive timeline exploring the history of U.S.-Pakistan relations.
April 30, 2007
An interactive timeline exploring the history of U.S.-Iran relations.
January 29, 2007
An interactive, multimedia guide to the dispute between North and South Korea.
Updated: October 26, 2009
Pakistan has emerged as a terrorist sanctuary for some of the world's most violent groups, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and homegrown militants, that threaten the stability of Pakistan as well as the region.
October 15, 2009
Despite concerns over Iran's nuclear program, the Obama administration has assessed that Tehran is years from a developing a long-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. But past Iranian secrecy and testing bombast have led some experts to remain skeptical of Tehran's capabilities and ambitions.
Updated: September 29, 2009
Iran's nuclear program is believed to have steadily progressed, despite sharply increased concerns over its intentions and sanctions over its lack of transparency.
Updated: July 1, 2009
The Six-Party Talks serve as a forum about North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but the negotiations have been riddled by Pyongyang's belligerence and the differing priorities of the participating nations.
June 18, 2009
Washington is focusing new military aid to Pakistan on strengthening counterinsurgency capabilities. But distrust between the two countries and Islamabad's continued focus on an Indian threat pose challenges, say experts.
Updated: May 28, 2009
Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, faces persistent accusations of links to terrorism, despite repeated denials.
Updated: January 28, 2009
Speculation over Kim Jong-Il's health has prompted discussion about the future of the isolated country and its nuclear weapons program. Most experts believe a post-Kim North Korea regime would remain a tough nuclear negotiator.
Updated: January 8, 2009
Terrorists increasingly turn to the Internet as a means of communication with one another and with the rest of the world. This article describes how terrorists have cultivated the web to suit their needs.
Updated: June 28, 2008
North Korea's recent nuclear program and recent nuclear test have resulted in on-going negotiations aimed at North Korea's cooperation with the international community.
Updated: February 20, 2008
The safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons continue to be a concern due to political instability and rising militancy in the country.
April 2009
In this Policy Options Paper, CFR Senior Fellow Daniel Markey argues that a narrow focus on counterterrorism is insufficient to protect U.S. interests in South Asia and advocates a long-term approach that prioritizes engagement with Pakistan.
April 2009
Task Force Report No. 62
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
January 2009
Council Special Report No. 42
North Korea has long been a serious concern to Washington. Now, with President Kim Jong-Il reportedly in bad health and possibly naming a successor, the United States must consider possible outcomes should the situation deteriorate and the current North Korean government collapse. This report examines the challenges that these scenarios would pose—ranging from securing Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal to providing humanitarian assistance—in the context of the interests of the United States and others in its valuable recommendations.
July/August 2008
Council Special Report No. 36
This report outlines the nature of the challenges in Pakistan's tribal areas, formulates strategies for addressing those challenges, and distills the strategies into realistic policy proposals worthy of consideration by the incoming administration.
November 2007
In this book, Michael A. Levi draws from our long experience with terrorism and proposes new principles for understanding and defending against nuclear threats.
April 2007
Council Special Report No. 28
This report examines the contributions that an expanded use of nuclear energy can make to improving energy security and reducing global warming while balancing these benefits against the risks and lingering questions over nuclear energy’s safety and security.
March 2006
Council Special Report No. 11
The threat of a nuclear attack—especially a nuclear detonation—by terrorists has never been greater. The United States and the international community must do more to prevent terrorists from buying, stealing, or building nuclear weapons. This report identifies where efforts have fallen short in securing and eliminating nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear materials, and it offers realistic recommendations to plug these gaps in the U.S. and international response.
January/February 2009
Summary
The Pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces; it must also focus on today's unconventional conflicts -- and tomorrow's.
November/December 2008
Summary
Washington must lead the way to a world without nuclear weapons, say Obama advisors. The first step will be dramatically limiting the U.S. nuclear arsenal's declared size and purpose.
August 24, 2009
This discussion paper examines the threat of nuclear terrorism and possible preventive defense strategies.
June 8, 2009
In this opinion piece, Henry Kissinger suggests the international diplomatic effort to manage North Korea's nuclear arsenal needs to harden, and adopt the elimination of North Korean nuclear weapons as its goal.
May 20, 2009
This U.S.-Russia joint assessment of Iran's nuclear and missile potential, published by the East West Institute, finds that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device within one to three years and develop a nuclear warhead for ballistic missiles in six to eight years. It also reports that Tehran will not be able, for at least ten to fifteen years, to independently master the technologies necessary for advanced intermediate-range ballistic missiles or intercontinental ballistic missiles.
March 14, 2009
Graham Allison, author and director of the Belfer Center at Harvard University, writes that the only thing that can keep nuclear bombs out of the hands of terrorists is a brand-new science of nuclear forensics. Developing this science, he says, entails working backward from a terrorist event to trace the path of the material to its source.
January 11, 2009
David Sanger writes that Pakistan's weak nuclear safeguards and tenuous political situation are the stuff that nightmares are made of, as well as one of the key concerns of the new Obama administration.
September 24, 2009
Fact Sheet
September 24, 2009
Speech
July 6, 2009
On July 6, Presidents Medvedev and Obama signed a Joint Understanding to guide the remainder of the negotiations. The Joint Understanding commits the United States and Russia to reduce their strategic warheads to a range of 1500-1675, and their strategic delivery vehicles to a range of 500-1100. Under the expiring START and the Moscow treaties the maximum allowable levels of warheads is 2200 and the maximum allowable level of launch vehicles is 1600.
December 3, 2008
Report
February 18, 2008
Michael A. Levi argues that “too many scientists today wrongly assume that a lack of information is the biggest barrier facing terrorists or countries that might build nuclear bombs, and they overstate the risks involved in sharing information as a result.”
December 5, 2007
Michael Levi writes that “the revelation last week that Slovak and Hungarian police arrested three men suspected of selling uranium powder is sure to spark an investigation into how security at the source of those materials failed. It would be wise, though, to study not only how defenses failed but also how authorities succeeded in breaking up the plot.”
October 26, 2009
Asia policy expert Michael Green says the Obama administration is taking a cautious approach to any bilateral talks on North Korea's denuclearization, noting Pyongyang's backsliding after the Bush administration adopted a softer tone.
October 22, 2009
Expert David Albright, says the preliminary agreement by which Iran will ship its low-enriched uranium to Russia for further processing "allows time for negotiations" to get Iran to freeze its nuclear program but warns Iran might still block the implementation of the plan.
October 16, 2009
CFR's Stephen R. Sestanovich says the Obama administration believes it has put relations with Russia on "a more practical" basis but convergence remains elusive on how to address Iran's nuclear program.
December 5, 2007
CFR Fellow for Science and Technology Michael A. Levi discusses his new book, On Nuclear Terrorism, which highlights many of the obstacles potential nuclear terrorists face.
May 3, 2006
Michael Levi speaks with cfr.org's Eben Kaplan about the consequences of nuclear terrorism on U.S. soil.
Updated: April 20, 2007
CFR’s Michael A. Levi and Harvard’s Graham T. Allison consider the likelihood of catastrophic nuclear terrorism in the United States.
June 17, 2009
Charles D. Ferguson gives an "Assessment of the Proliferation Risks of Spent Fuel Reprocessing and Alternative Nuclear Waste Management Strategies," before the House Committee on Science and Technology.
June 17, 2009
Scott A. Snyder testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment; and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. His testimony addresses North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests and Six-Party talks.
March 19, 2009
July 27, 2006
November/December 2008
Article
Author: Graham Allison
February 2008
Report
Authors: Michael M. May, et al.
July/August 2007
Authors: Sidney Niemeyer and David K. Smith
Summer 2007
Report
Author: Lewis A. Dunn
May 7, 2007
Article:
Authors: David E. Sanger and Thom Shanker
Spring 2007
Article
Author: Caitlin Talmadge
October 2006
Article
Authors: Michael M. May, et al.
2005
Book
Authors: Michael A. Levi and Michael E. O'Hanlon
November 2007
In this book, Michael A. Levi draws from our long experience with terrorism and proposes new principles for understanding and defending against nuclear threats.
March 2006
Council Special Report No. 11
The threat of a nuclear attack—especially a nuclear detonation—by terrorists has never been greater. The United States and the international community must do more to prevent terrorists from buying, stealing, or building nuclear weapons. This report identifies where efforts have fallen short in securing and eliminating nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear materials, and it offers realistic recommendations to plug these gaps in the U.S. and international response.
Spring 2004
Michael Levi argues that contrary to popular belief, with a little technological innovation, deterrence can become a useful strategy against terrorist use of nuclear weapons.
Russia Update: Is the Reset Working?
| Panelists: | Stephen F. Cohen, Professor of Russian Studies, New York University; Author, Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War |
|---|---|
| Dimitri K. Simes, President, The Nixon Center | |
| Celeste A. Wallander, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia |
Transcript: Russia Update: Is the Reset Working?
Audio: Russia Update: Is the Reset Working? (Audio)
Video: Russia Update: Is the Reset Working? (Video)
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Report of a CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force
| Speakers: | William J. Perry, Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor, Stanford University |
|---|---|
| Brent Scowcroft, Resident Trustee, The Forum for International Policy | |
| Presider: | Jackson Diehl, Deputy Editorial Page Editor, The Washington Post |
President Obama has called for the eventual global abolition of nuclear weapons, but they will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term. The CFR Task Force report makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force and puts forth measures to prevent nuclear terrorism and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime. Task Force co-chairs William J. Perry and Brent Scowcroft will discuss the report’s main findings and recommendations.
The report is available on CFR’s website at http://www.cfr.org/nuclear_weapons_policy. Hard copies will be available at the meeting.
Transcript: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Report of a CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force
Audio: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Report of a CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force (Audio)
This meeting is on the record.
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
| Speakers: | Charles D. Ferguson, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Christopher A. Ford, Director, Center for Technology and Global Security, Hudson Institute | |
| Paul Lettow, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations | |
| Moderator: | Henry Sokolski, Executive Director, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center |
What stake does the United States have in the global nonproliferation regime as it currently exists? What are the risks and rewards of bilateral arrangements with countries such as India? How can loopholes in the NPT be closed? Should the United States ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty? What are the lessons of voluntary initiatives, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative, for a coalition approach to nonproliferation?
Transcript: Strengthening The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime
Audio: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime (Audio)
Video: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
Defending Against Nuclear Terrorism
| Speaker: | Michael A. Levi, Fellow for Science and Technology and Director, Program on Energy Security and Climate Change, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, On Nuclear Terrorism, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Presider: | Irina A. Faskianos, Vice President, National Program & Outreach, Council on Foreign Relations |
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (ET)
This call was made possible in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Audio: Academic Conference Call: Defending Against Nuclear Terrorism (Audio)
On Nuclear Terrorism
| Speaker: | Michael A. Levi, Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Introductory Speaker: | Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations |
Audio: On Nuclear Terrorism (Audio)
This meeting is on the record.
Reducing Nuclear Dangers: The Race Between Cooperation and Catastrophe
| Speaker: | Sam Nunn, Co-Chairman and CEO, Nuclear Threat Initiative |
|---|---|
| Presider: | James F. Hoge Jr., Peter G. Peterson Chair & Editor, Foreign Affairs |
Recognizing that we have arrived at a dangerous tipping point in the nuclear era, Senator Nunn will discuss the path that he, George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, and Bill Perry have charted for advancing the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons linked to specific steps to reduce nuclear dangers.
12:15 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Meeting
Transcript: Reducing Nuclear Dangers: The Race between Cooperation and Catastrophe [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
Audio: A Conversation with Sam Nunn (Audio)
Video: A Conversation with Sam Nunn (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
C. Peter McColough Roundtable Series on International Economics: The Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons - Prospects for Continuance
Related Project: C. Peter McColough Roundtable Series on International Economics
| Presider: | Ashton B. Carter, Co-director, Preventive Defense Project and Ford Foundation Professor of Science & International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Thomas C. Schelling, Distinguished University Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland and 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economics |
The C. Peter McColough Roundtable Series on International Economics is presented by the Corporate Program and the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.
5:30-6:00 p.m. Reception
6:00-7:00 p.m. Meeting
7:00-8:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
Transcript: The Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons: Prospects for Continuance [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service, Inc.]
This meeting is on the record.
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
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