On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing what Donald Trump's return to the White House means for US nuclear policy and worldwide anti-proliferation efforts.
The US has over 5,000 nuclear warheads, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Just one of those bombs could decimate a city. Trump’s allies want to build more.
Project 2025, the authoritarian playbook led by the Heritage Foundation to guide Trump's second term, recommends significantly ramping up the nation's nuclear arsenal. It also wants Trump to pave the way to restart nuclear bomb testing in Nevada — something the US hasn't done since 1992.
National security expert Joe Cirincione writes that we're embarking on a new and dangerous nuclear era worldwide, one in which Trump will once again have "the unfettered ability to launch nuclear weapons whenever he wants, for whatever reason."
Guest:
Joe Cirincione, national security expert, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, former president of Ploughshares Fund, and author of "Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late"
Resources:
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Trump has a strategic plan for the country: Gearing up for nuclear war
Reuters: Russia fired new ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
The New York Times: The Secret Pentagon War Game That Offers a Stark Warning for Our Times
The New York Times: Where the World Plans to Test Nuclear Weapons Next
