United Nations member states have voted overwhelmingly to start negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, despite strong opposition from nuclear-armed nations and their allies.

Nuclear disarmament campaigners have hailed the landmark  resolution adopted by the United Nations on October 27 for launching negotiations in 2017 on a legally binding treaty outlawing nuclear weapons. The resolution heralds an end to two decades of paralysis in multilateral nuclear disarmament efforts.

Text of Resolution L.41. The historic vote on October 27 was 123 in favor, 38 against, and 16 abstaining. 

One of the worst fears in the post 9-11 world is that the threat of nuclear terrorism will become reality. In this book discussion, author of the new monograph Deterring Nuclear Terrorism Robert Litwak and New York Times correspondent David Sanger discuss effective strategies on the state level to prevent a nuclear 9/11. 

With the collapse of yet another arms reduction deal, Washington and Moscow are now sitting on a stockpile of plutonium good for tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. NOTE: Access to the article requires sign-up.

Arms control can make a significant contribution to US national security and is more important when relations are adversarial than when they are working well. The next administration should prepare a position in case Moscow decides to reengage.