In Defense of Obama’s Nuclear Record

Shane Mason

Security, Americas

He's accomplished almost everything he set out to do.

In 2009, President Obama delivered a speech in Prague that outlined his nuclear policy agenda. The most notable aspect of his speech was its call for a world without nuclear weapons; this goal became known as the Prague agenda. The president declared that “the United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons.” In the very next sentence, however, the president cautioned, “Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies.” The president’s supporters championed his call for nuclear disarmament. Deterrence hawks feared unilateral disarmament. However, after two terms of disagreeing on nearly every issue related to nuclear policy, the administration’s allies and critics now seem to agree on one thing—Obama’s nuclear record has been a disappointment at best, and a failure at worst.

This criticism is unwarranted. It primarily rests on a misconception or misreading—deliberate or otherwise—of what the president said in Prague. Read carefully, the Prague speech outlined an agenda that was never as radical as his supporters hoped or his critics feared. Simultaneously pursuing disarmament and deterrence demonstrates continuity with every presidential administration since at least the end of the Cold War. If we are to use the entire Prague speech as a starting point, rather than just one line of it, Obama has successfully followed through on the speech’s major themes—nonproliferation, nuclear security and disarmament—while acknowledging that nuclear deterrence will continue to be a component of U.S. defense policy.