ABSTRACT
In nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, radical departures from the status quo have sometimes produced very positive consequences. The 1991 unilateral Presidential Nuclear Initiatives of President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev were remarkable at the time. These pledges dramatically reduced the threat from tactical nuclear weapons, removing from service roughly 17,000 weapons, and producing the largest reciprocal nuclear arsenal reductions in history. On the other hand, radical departures from the status quo can sometimes produce negative consequences. The Trump administration has put forward a number of new nuclear weapons-related policies, including a new “low-yield” nuclear warhead for the Trident SLBM. If funded by the US Congress, these proposals could blur the line between nuclear and conventional weapons and make nuclear war more likely. The Trump administration has also declared that it will NOT seek to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a break from past US presidential administrations. The chapter discusses the role that ongoing processes in nuclear arms control can play going forward.
