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The experts comment: Key nuclear questions that the US presidential candidates should answer

Bulletin, By François Diaz-Maurin, John Mecklin | September 19, 2024

The US presidential race is entering its final weeks after a turbulent campaign that has included rhetorical drama, dramatic debates, the late withdrawal of a sitting president, and two assassination attempts­. The economy, immigration, and abortion have taken center stage as the issues that the candidates—Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former president Donald Trump—and US media outlets have emphasized. The existential threat of nuclear war has received only brief and tangential attention.

But the next president will be confronted with a highly challenging security environment and a daunting array of new and continuing nuclear risks. The use of nuclear weapons becomes more likely as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on. Growing tensions among China, Russia, and the United States and the collapse of the nuclear arms control regime create the prospect of an unrestrained arms race between the three nuclear superpowers. The war in Gaza and the resulting face-off between Israel and Iran could lead to unabashed nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. And China’s growing regional ambitions and North Korea’s increasingly aggressive behavior worry other East Asian countries that wonder about the credibility of the US security guarantees and increasingly express interest in possessing nuclear arsenals of their own.

As a service to citizens and the journalists who will cover the final weeks of the campaign, we asked leading nuclear policy experts to suggest questions that the presidential candidates should be asked about the nuclear threat and how best to reduce it. The commentaries below provide a framework for assessing the strategic plans of the two candidates for moving the world away from nuclear catastrophe. If such plans exist.

American voters, allies, and adversaries are watching. The presidential candidates should be explaining……………………………………………………………………………………….more https://thebulletin.org/2024/09/key-nuclear-questions-that-the-us-presidential-candidates-should-answer/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ThursdayNewsletter09192024&utm_content=NuclearRisk_KeyNuclearQuestionsIntroduction_09192024

September 21, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized