Nuclear security

Obama’s Nuclear Paradox

Of all the accomplishments and disappointments of the Obama presidency, his nuclear weapons policy is the greatest.

Yes, you read that correctly. Obama’s approach to nukes will be his most significant legacy as well as his most salient failure. Obama promised “hope and change” in 2007. The paradox of his nuclear weapons policy is that it falls somewhere between these aspirational poles of his presidency.

Consider, for instance, two highlights of Obama’s tenure: Prague and Hiroshima.

On April 5, 2009, only several months into his first term, President Obama gave a speech in Prague embracing the agenda of nuclear disarmament. His remarks were not particularly radical. But it was the first time that a sitting U.S. president had committed the country to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, albeit with no specific deadline attached.