Podcast / American Prestige / May 14, 2024

The Nuclear Club, Part 2

On this episode of American Prestige, a continuation of our discussion on US efforts to maintain nuclear supremacy during the early Cold War.

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The Nuclear Club, Part 3 w/ Jonathan Hunt | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. This final episode examines President Lyndon Johnson’s approach to nuclear weapons, the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and how Vietnam factored into its scope, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), tactical nuclear weapons, the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and more.

Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College.

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The first atomic bomb test was conducted at Alamogordo, N.M., July 16, 1945.

(AP / US Army)

On this episode of American Prestige, we welcome back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the US Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons.

This second part of the discussion picks up in the mid-1950s after Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech, covering non-proliferation movement leaders like Irish foreign minister Frank Aiken, the flexible response policy and other changes to America’s nuclear posture under the Kennedy administration, the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, proliferation optimists vs, pessimists, and more through the late 1960s.

Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the US Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the US Naval War College.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

US-Iran Talks Stall, Russia Nuclear Warning, Brazil Election / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

As Derek completes the final phase of his vision quest, Alex Jordan of theAlways at War podcast fills in once more. In this week’s news: U.S.-Iran talks stall over the order of concessions (1:28); Gulf oil exports return to prewar levels (4:34); Netanyahu uses an attempted seizure of a FlyDubai flight to reinforce his agenda as an election approaches (11:15); in Iraq, the U.S. ends its counter-ISIS mission (16:06); Pete Hegseth launches Project Meridian to study the “future of warfare” (21:35); Trump hosts tech leaders who pledge “tremendous” self-regulation (24:49); British police arrest five men near RAF Fairford amid claims of Iranian involvement (27:23); U.S. intelligence says Saudi Arabia is keeping a nuclear weapons option open (30:06); Russia warns NATO of a nuclear response if Kaliningrad faces a blockade (33:09); Germany’s foreign minister meets Russia’s foreign minister as Russian attacks hit Ukraine’s energy grid (37:27); and Brazil prepares for a presidential election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro (41:13).

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Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.

Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

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