Nonproliferation Expert: Fewer Nukes Are Better With Balanced, Multilateral Reductions

Nonproliferation and nuclear arms reduction should be joint, balanced efforts, according to Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. “I think fewer probably [are] better,” Sokolski said about nuclear weapons yesterday at the Heritage Foundation. “If you come down, you don’t want to be alone,” he said, referring to parity in multilateral nonproliferation efforts. “Coming down . . . on balance, if you can, with some transparency, is a good thing,” he said. Sokolski led a panel discussion about his new book, Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future, which outlines potential long-term proliferation scenarios and provides recommendations meant to prevent them. According to Sokolski, these recommendations include focusing on Asia as “the center of gravity of the world,” emphasizing “timely detection,” shifting attention to missiles, “not just nuclear warheads,” and “[tightening] the rules with regard to the spread of peaceful nuclear technology.”