Between Vision and Reality: New START, the Nuclear Posture Review, and the Nuclear Security Summit

In April 2009 in Prague, President Barack Obama presented his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. To that end, he contended, the United States must spearhead a process that will ultimately bring about the realization of this ideal, even if not in his lifetime. Obama presented three ways the United States would strive to implement this vision: nuclear disarmament; reinforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and strengthened security of nuclear materials and materials for nuclear weapons in order to prevent their falling into the hands of terrorist groups.