{"58931":{"#nid":"58931","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nunn Forum Envisions Nuclear Weapon-Free Future","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImproving the relationship between the United States, Russia, and Europe was the timely topic of the Bank of America Sam Nunn Policy Forum held March 29th at the Global Learning Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe forum came as President Barack Obama prepared to sign a new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. And on the morning of the forum, terrorists bombed a subway in Moscow, killing 39 people. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThose events pointed to a brighter future for partnership, attendees said, as well as the need for developed countries to secure nuclear weapons and facilities to keep them out of terrorists\u0027 hands.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Today the risk of a nuclear accident is higher\u0022  than during the Cold War, said Nunn (Cls 60). \u0022When you have this many nuclear weapons around, things can go badly wrong.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENunn, co-chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, championed nuclear security while a U.S. senator. The forum, held every other year, is hosted by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENunn told the dignitaries, researchers and students in attendance that Russia and the United States need to improve their communication on nuclear issues, reduce the number of nuclear missiles on ready status and improve their posture toward each other. Those steps will \u0022determine whether we live in a world of promise or peril,\u0022  he said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe forum\u0027s featured speaker was Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States. Kislyak stressed the common interests of the United States and Russia while also providing the Russian perspective on contentious issues.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We don\u0027t see any threat coming from the United States and hope they see no threat coming from us,\u0022  he said. \u0022But concerns about the stability of Europe remain. We want to be part of a Europe that is stable and secure for everyone.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKislyak repeatedly mentioned NATO and how its members had held Russia at a distance. He said the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo was seen as illegal by Russia. And he called Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili \u0022a criminal with the blood of Russians on his hands.\u0022  NATO and the United States supported Georgia when Russian troops invaded the country in 2008.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKislyak attributed lasting disagreements to unresolved issues from the Cold War. Overcoming those issues is central to replacing mutually assured destruction with \u0022mutually assured security.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Nuclear armament is just part of this,\u0022  he said. \u0022We need to work on the issues that prompted us to have nuclear weapons.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a later panel discussion, Kislyak introduced Charles Boyd, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, commander in chief of the U.S. European Command and NATO executive director. Kislyak suggested Boyd had flown spy missions during the Cold War and asked if Boyd was haunted by it.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022How\u0027s that for an introduction?\u0022  Boyd joked before saying he had been stationed in Turkey during the Cold War, ready to fly a bombing mission at a moment\u0027s notice.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two former opponents enjoyed a friendly discussion on nuclear policy, highlighting the improved relations between the United States and Russia.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe event also featured the introduction of disarmament guidelines from the International Crisis Group in a video message from Gareth Evans, president emeritus of the group.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The world is riding a wave as opposed to resisting a tide,\u0022  Evans said of disarmament. \u0022It\u0027s sheer dumb luck that we\u0027ve managed to survive without a nuclear explosion catastrophe. The status quo is not an option.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We have to go for absolute abolition. If any nation has nuclear weapons, others will desire them.\u0022 \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWritten by Van Jensen.  This story appeared in the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, May\/June 2010 issue.\u003C\/em\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EStreaming video of the conference may be viewed on the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs website.  Please click the link to video below to be taken to that page.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Improving the relationship between the United States, Russia, and Europe was the timely topic of the Bank of America Sam Nunn Policy Forum held March 29th at the Global Learning Center.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"2010 Bank of America Sam Nunn Policy Forum"}],"uid":"27167","created_gmt":"2010-05-14 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:06:59","author":"Rebecca Keane","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-05-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2010-05-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"58932":{"id":"58932","type":"image","title":"...","body":null,"created":"1449176204","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:56:44","changed":"1475894517","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:57","alt":"...","file":{"fid":"190784","name":"tdz84435.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tdz84435_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tdz84435_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":691765,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tdz84435_0.jpg?itok=eVGmcldc"}}},"media_ids":["58932"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/?p=2981","title":"GT Alumni Magazine - Full Article"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.inta.gatech.edu\/sam-nunn-forum\/","title":"2008 Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"851","name":"INTA"},{"id":"9915","name":"Nunn forum"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERebecca  Keane\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIvam Allen College - Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EContact Rebecca  Keane\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-1720\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}