The evolution of Barack Obama's nuclear policy

[Kshasty]

U.S. President Barack Obama has finally unveiled his administration's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) assessing the nation's nuclear strategy. The publication of a declassified version has been delayed several times since December 2009. The full version will now be submitted to Congress.

This document constitutes the core of what will be known as the Obama nuclear doctrine.

Although President Obama has already made greater headway on nuclear arms control than his predecessor, George W. Bush, the document falls short of Obama's speech in Prague on April 5, 2009, in which he promised tough new controls, drastic cuts in nuclear stockpiles and even a world free of nuclear weapons.

Naturally, everyone understands that a world without nuclear weapons will continue to be a utopian dream even in 10-20 years. Still, after George W. Bush, it was nice to hear the 44th President of the United States talk like this.

Obama's nuclear doctrine can be considered revolutionary compared to August 1945. Had this doctrine been in place at the end of World War II, President Harry Truman would not have been able to order the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Under the new doctrine, Washington pledges not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not possess them, provided that they are in compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do not pose a "critical threat" to the United States.

The latter two caveats obviously refer to Iran and North Korea, whose nuclear programs continue to trouble the world.

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