Lawrence Wittner

Lawrence Wittner is professor of history at the State University of New York/Albany and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus. His latest book is Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement (Stanford University Press).

Why Should Trump – or Anyone – Be Able To Launch a Nuclear War?

The accession of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency brings us face-to-face with a question that many have tried to avoid since 1945: Should anyone have the right to plunge the world into a nuclear holocaust? Trump, of course, is an unusually angry, vindictive, and mentally unstable American president. Therefore, given the fact that, acting … Continue reading “Why Should Trump – or Anyone – Be Able To Launch a Nuclear War?”

Let’s Reduce the US Nuclear Arsenal

At present, nuclear disarmament seems to have ground to a halt. Nine nations have a total of approximately 15,500 nuclear warheads in their arsenals, including 7,300 possessed by Russia and 7,100 possessed by the United States. A Russian-American treaty to further reduce their nuclear forces has been difficult to secure thanks to Russian disinterest and … Continue reading “Let’s Reduce the US Nuclear Arsenal”

Where Is That Wasteful Government Spending?

In early September 2016, Donald Trump announced his plan for a vast expansion of the U.S. military, including 90,000 new soldiers for the Army, nearly 75 new ships for the Navy, and dozens of new fighter aircraft for the Air Force. Although the cost of this increase would be substantial – about $90 billion per … Continue reading “Where Is That Wasteful Government Spending?”

Isn’t It Time To Ban the Bomb?

Although the mass media failed to report it, a landmark event occurred recently in connection with resolving the long-discussed problem of what to do about nuclear weapons. On August 19, 2016, a UN committee, the innocuously-named Open-Ended Working Group, voted to recommend to the UN General Assembly that it mandate the opening of negotiations in … Continue reading “Isn’t It Time To Ban the Bomb?”

Are We in for Another Increase in Military Spending?

At the present time, an increase in U.S. military spending seems as superfluous as a third leg. The United States, armed with the latest in advanced weaponry, has more military might than any other nation in world history. Moreover, it has begun a $1 trillion program to refurbish its entire nuclear weapons complex. America’s major … Continue reading “Are We in for Another Increase in Military Spending?”

The Frightening Prospect of a Nuclear War Is About To Become a Lot More Likely

A fight now underway over newly-designed U.S. nuclear weapons highlights how far the Obama administration has strayed from its commitment to build a nuclear-free world. The fight, as a recent New York Times article indicates, concerns a variety of nuclear weapons that the US military is currently in the process of developing or, as the … Continue reading “The Frightening Prospect of a Nuclear War Is About To Become a Lot More Likely”

The Shockingly High Number of Casualties of America’s Nuclear Weapons Program

When Americans think about nuclear weapons, they comfort themselves with the thought that these weapons’ vast destruction of human life has not taken place since 1945 – at least not yet. But, in reality, it has taken place, with shocking levels of U.S. casualties. This point is borne out by a recently-published study by a … Continue reading “The Shockingly High Number of Casualties of America’s Nuclear Weapons Program”

After the Iran Nuclear Agreement: Will the Nuclear Powers also Play by the Rules?

When all is said and done, what the recently-approved Iran nuclear agreement is all about is ensuring that Iran honors its commitment under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) not to develop nuclear weapons. But the NPT – which was ratified in 1968 and which went into force in 1970 – has two kinds of provisions. … Continue reading “After the Iran Nuclear Agreement: Will the Nuclear Powers also Play by the Rules?”

Militarism Run Amok: Russians and Americans Get Their Kids Ready for War

In 1915, a mother’s protest against funneling children into war became the theme of a new American song, “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier.” Although the ballad attained great popularity, not everyone liked it. Theodore Roosevelt, a leading militarist of the era, retorted that the proper place for women who criticized war … Continue reading “Militarism Run Amok: Russians and Americans Get Their Kids Ready for War”

The Vietnam War: After Forty Years

Today, 40 years after the American war in Vietnam ended in ignominious defeat, the traces of that terrible conflict are disappearing. Traveling through Vietnam during the latter half of April 2015 with a group of erstwhile antiwar activists, I was struck by the transformation of what was once an impoverished, war-devastated peasant society into a … Continue reading “The Vietnam War: After Forty Years”