The Nuclear Agenda

After fading from the public eye, arms control and missile defense are once again at the forefront of the American national security agenda. The first major issue on the nuclear agenda is the future of multilateral arms control. The second major issue on the nuclear agenda is reducing the size of the US and Russian offensive nuclear arsenals. The third issue on the nuclear agenda is national missile defense. After fading from the public eye, arms control and missile defense are once again at the forefront of the American national security agenda. The first major issue on the nuclear agenda is the future of multilateral arms control, which the Senate threw into doubt with its rejection of the comprehensive Test Ban Treaty last year. The arrival of a new administration creates an opportunity to depoliticize the test ban treaty and to reconsider it on the merits. The second major issue on the nuclear agenda is reducing the size of the US and Russian offensive nuclear arsenals. In embracing the Russian call for deep cuts in nuclear arsenals, the US would not be doing Moscow a favor, but advancing its own interests. The third issue on the nuclear agenda and the none with potentially the most far reaching consequences is national missile defense.