One of the most dangerous movements in the West is the drive to rid the world of nuclear weapons, commonly termed Global Zero.  The concept is so utopian as to be laughable, and so potentially self-destructive as to be truly frightening. The science and technology behind nuclear weapons is out of the bag, and it is never going back in.  For as long as civilization exists, the knowledge and materials to make these weapons will be relatively readily available to a broad range of state and well-funded, serious, and well-connected non-state actors. In an important discussion paper from the current issue of Strategic Studies Quarterly – the strategic journal of the United States Air Force – James Blackwell, Jr. (special advisor to the assistant chief of staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Headquarters, U.S. Air Force) and Charles Costanzo  (associate professor of national security studies, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB) discuss...(Read Full Post)