Press Room

Ploughshares Fund Names New Leaders for a New Future

Deborah Bain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:58:15 -0500

Ploughshares Fund today named seven individuals who are leading the way to security and peace in the 21st century. These leaders are available to discuss prospects for President-elect Obama’s national security team, and the complex range of historic opportunities to reduce and ultimately eliminate nuclear weapons and promote peace in regions of conflicts.

“At a moment of unprecedented opportunity for increasing global security, these people are leading initiatives capable of far-reaching change,” said Joseph Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund. He cited the vision and innovation exemplified by the following individuals, each of whom has received a grant ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 to support his or her work and are profiled in New Leaders/New Future: Ploughshares Fund Annual Report 2008.

Major General Dipankar Banerjee, who traded his military uniform for the mantle of peacemaker as the founder of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in volatile and nuclear-armed South Asia.
Contact: (New Delhi) 91.11.5100.1900, dbanerjee@ipcs.org

Kennette Benedict, who is transforming the venerable Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists into a powerful tool for educating the public and policymakers and building a public movement for a safer, nuclear weapon-free world.
Contact: 312.364.9710 ext. 12, kbenedict@thebulletin.org

Bruce Blair, who this week will officially launch Global Zero, a worldwide popular drive for an international agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons by a date certain.
Contact: 202-797-5116, bblair@worldsecurityinstitute.org

Matthew Bunn, who combines urgency with the practical steps needed to fast-track international efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism, from Harvard’s Managing the Atom Project.
Contact: 617.495.9916, matthew_bunn@harvard.edu

Victoria Holt, who is redefining the role of militaries in protecting civilians caught in violent conflicts around the world. Holt is co-director of the Future of Peace Operations project at the Henry L. Stimson Center.
Contact: 202.223.5956, vholt@stimson.org

Rachel Kleinfeld, whose Truman National Security Project is recruiting and training tomorrow’s young, progressive leaders.
Contact: 202.216.9723, rachel@trumanproject.org

Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council and leader of efforts to forge a more rational U.S. policy toward Iran.
Contact: 202.386.2303, tparsi@niacouncil.org

For interviews, including Ploughshares Fund President Joseph Cirincione or Executive Director Naila Bolus, please contact:

Ploughshares Fund

Obama Election Heralds Transformation in Nuclear Weapons and Security Policies

Deborah Bain — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:08:41 -0500

Top national security experts offer fresh insight on topics from nuclear terrorism to U.S.-Russia relations.

The following experts are available for interviews on the immediate challenges President-elect Obama will face, and the prospects for transforming national security policies in an Obama presidency – in particular, his commitment to establishing the U.S. as a leader in building a nuclear weapon-free world.

Joseph Cirincione, President of the Ploughshares Fund, is the author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons , is an expert advisor to the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism. He is a frequent commentator for NPR, CNN, Fox News and the Los Angeles Times. His most recent article is “Strategic Collapse: The Failure of the Bush Nuclear Doctrine,” in the November 2008 issue of Arms Control Today, November 2008.
Suggested topics: The “new moment” for a world without nuclear weapons; new U.S. and international nuclear weapons policies; missile defense and the U.S.-Russia relationship; nuclear weapons challenges posed by Iran, North Korea and Pakistan. contact: 202.441.9825

Theresa Hitchens, Vice President, Center for Defense Information, is one of America’s leading authorities on the weaponization of space and defense budget issues. Editor of Defense News from 1998 to 2000, Ms. Hitchens’ journalistic career has focused on military, defense industry and NATO affairs. She began her career in the national security field as an intern in the office of Senator John Glenn (D-OH).
Suggested topics: Missile defense; a space weapons policy for the Obama administration; defense spending. contact: 202.797.5269

Paul Ingram, Paul Ingram, Executive Director, British American Security Information Council (London), has written on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament,with a focus on Iran and the UK, and defense economics. He hosts a weekly prime-time talk show on Iranian domestic TV News focusing on global security issues, and teaches leadership to senior civil servants.
Suggested topics: The view from Europe on President-elect Obama’s national security challenges; dealing effectively with the challenge of Iran; building international consensus behind effective disarmament strategies. contact: (London) +44 7908 708175

John Isaacs, Executive Director, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, is one of the leaders of the nation’s arms control community, focusing on nuclear weapons, missile defense and the workings of Congress. Isaacs has represented the Council for a Livable World, the Center’s sister organization, on Capitol Hill since 1978. He previously served as a Legislative Assistant on foreign affairs to Representative Stephen Solarz (D-NY), and a Foreign Service Officer in Vietnam.
Suggested topics: The national security agenda for the new Congress; missile defense and the U.S.-Russian relationship; U.S. nuclear weapons policy; prospects for a nuclear weapon-free world. contact: 202.543.4100 x2222

William Potter, Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), and of the MIIS Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. He is the co-author of The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism. His current research focuses nuclear terrorism and on proliferation issues involving the post-Soviet states.
Suggested topics: The first test: dealing with Russia; preventing nuclear terrorism at the source. contact: 831.647.4154

Lisa Schirch is Professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University and Director of the 3D Security Initiative, a policy voice for civil society organizations engaged in conflict prevention and stabilization in war zones. A former Fulbright Fellow in East and West Africa, Schirch has worked in over 20 countries with communities and government leaders.
Suggested topics: How an Obama administration could achieve a more balanced security policy; foster reconciliation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and pursue principled negotiation with Iran. contact: 540.383.4859

Jacqueline Shire, Senior Analyst, Institute for Science and International Security, provides research and analysis on Iran's nuclear program as well as proliferation challenges posed by North Korea and other countries. At the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs her assignments included tours of duty at the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. She was a member of the U.S. delegation negotiating with North Korea in 1993.
Suggested topics: President-elect Obama’s top proliferation challenges: Iran and North Korea; a new way forward with Iran; illicit nuclear trade; and United Nations issues. contact: jshire@isis-online.org

Karin von Hippel, Co-Director, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, recently returned from a week-long NATO- sponsored tour of Afghanistan, where she was briefed by military officials, international experts and Afghan civilians. She has also visited Pakistan and produced recommendations for how the U.S. can support the new government and promote security in the region. Previously, von Hippel worked with the UN and the European Union in Somalia and Kosovo and on peacekeeping issues.
Suggested topics: Restoring America’s place in the world; a new policy on Afghanistan; Pakistan. contact: (202) 775-3116

Ploughshares Fund is one of the nation’s largest foundations dedicated exclusively to security and peace funding. Ploughshares Fund is supported by gifts from individuals, families and foundations.

Ploughshares Fund

Now Available With New Afterword | BOMB SCARE: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS by Joseph Cirincione

Deborah Bain — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:22:28 -0400

“A compact, balanced, and wise treatment of an issue that is of critical importance to our security.”
-Robert L. Gallucci, Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

“Succinct and smart, informed by insight drawn from long experience, Bomb Scare is the best one-volume examination of the history and challenges of the nuclear arms race yet written.”
-Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

“Joseph Cirincione has written a 'must read' book for students, scholars, and policymakers alike. He has clearly captured the essence of where we have been, where we are today, and practical options for the future.”
-General (ret.) Eugene Habiger, former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Strategic Command

“Bomb Scare provides a gripping history of how nuclear weapons were developed, how and why they spread, and how we can stop and reduce their dangers. Joseph Cirincione, one of our nation's top proliferation experts, issues a clear warning about today's nuclear threats, but also makes specific recommendations to address nuclear dangers-the most critical security issue facing our nation and the world.”
-Sam Nunn, former U.S. Senator and co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative

Since their inception, nuclear weapons have multiplied at an alarming rate, leaving everyone from policymakers to concerned citizens wondering what it will take to slow, stop, or even reverse their spread. With clarity and expertise, Joseph Cirincione presents an even-handed look at the history of nuclear proliferation and an optimistic vision of its future, providing a comprehensive survey of the wide range of critical perspectives.

Cirincione begins with the first atomic discoveries of the 1930s and covers the history of their growth all the way to current crisis with Iran. He unravels the science, strategy, and politics that have fueled the development of nuclear stockpiles and increased the chance of a nuclear terrorist attack. He also explains why many nations choose not to pursue nuclear weapons and pulls from this the outlines of a solution to the world's proliferation problem: a balance of force and diplomacy, enforcement and engagement that yields a steady decrease in these deadly arsenals.

Though nuclear weapons have not been used in war since August 1945, there is no guarantee this good fortune will continue. A unique blend of history, theory, and security analysis, Bomb Scare is an engaging text that not only supplies the general reader and student with a clear understanding of this issue but also provides a set of tools policymakers and scholars can use to prevent the cataclysmic consequences of another nuclear attack.

Joseph Cirincione is the president of the Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation concentrating on nuclear weapons issues, and teaches at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He has served as a senior vice president for national security at the Center for American Progress, the director for nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and on the professional staff of the Armed Services Committee and the Government Operations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the coauthor of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats and Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security.

August 15, 2008
224 pages
978-0-231-13511-5 paper $18.95 / £10.95
978-0-231-13510-8 cloth $27.95 / £18.95
Political Science / History

Ploughshares Fund

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Ploughshares Fund President Warns Congress of Inflated Missile Threats, Budgets

Deborah Bain — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:46:04 -0500

Calls Ballistic Missile Defense “The Longest Running Scam in the History of the Department of Defense”

WASHINGTON, DC: In his first day as president of Ploughshares Fund, Joseph Cirincione warned Congress of inflated threats, inflated capabilities and inflated budgets in the $12.3 billion administration request this year for anti-ballistic missile weapons. In testimony before the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, Cirincione presented a detailed analysis showing that the record-breaking budget request comes at a time of steady decline in the threat posed by ballistic missiles.

“The most serious threats are the short-range missiles confronting our armed forces and some allies, not the long-range missiles that are the focus of the bulk of the anti-ballistic missile budget,” Cirincione told the committee. “There is every reason to believe that the threat can be addressed through diplomacy and measured military preparedness.”

Committee member Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) asked Cirincione whether the allocation of resources is proportional to the threat.

“Absolutely not. I believe that the ballistic missile defense program is the longest running scam in the history of the Department of Defense,” the Ploughshares president said. “This is an enormous waste of money, and if you leave this decision to the Joint Chiefs they won’t spend anything near what this Administration is requesting. In fact, the last time the Joint Chiefs were asked about this in 1993, [they] recommended to then-President Clinton that we spend only $3 billion a year on these kinds of programs, and of that $2.3 billion should be spent on efforts to intercept short-range missiles – the ones that are a real threat to our troops and allies….We’re no further along in our ability to actually hit a real ballistic missile now than we were 20 years ago.”

Cirincione was the lead-off witness in what Committee Chairman John Tierney said would be a comprehensive series of hearings examining the threats, technology and costs of the current programs. The Committee asked Cirincione to provide an evaluation of the threat. “I believe that in order for Congress to judge whether these sums are necessary they need a comprehensive assessment of the ballistic missile threat,” Cirincione testified, “Congress has never – never – gotten this kind of assessment…. We need a comprehensive threat assessment of what the most serious security threats are facing the United States, and then budget allocations based on that.”

Among the points Cirincione documented in his presentation:

Despite the sharp decline in the number of long- and medium-range ballistic missiles deployed over the last twenty years, the current administration plans to spend more than $60 billion on anti-missile weapons over the next six years – more than during any similar period during the Cold War.
There are fewer countries with missile programs now and the nations trying to startlong-range missile programs are poorer and less technologically advanced than were the nations 20 years ago.
The likelihood of any nation attacking the U.S. or Europe with a ballistic missile is exceptionally low.

Cirincione, a highly-regarded policy expert and Capitol Hill veteran, is the author of the 2007 Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. He assumes the presidency of Ploughshares Fund after directing nonproliferation programs at the Center for American Progress for four years and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for the eight years prior to that. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and teaches at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service.

Ploughshares Fund a public grantmaking foundation that supports efforts to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons, and to prevent conflicts that could lead to their use. Ploughshares grants support results-oriented initiatives, as well as technical and policy analyses of nuclear weapons and missile defense, including the work of Theodore Postol at MIT, Theresa Hitchens and Victoria Samson at the Center for Defense Information, and Lisbeth Gronlund and David Wright at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The complete text of Cirincione’s detailed testimony—with graphs, charts and tables of all the 28 nations with missiles--can be found at http://www.ploughshares.org, along with additional biographical information and highlights of recent Ploughshares-funded projects.

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Ploughshares Fund

Joseph Cirincione to Lead Expansion of Ploughshares Fund

Deborah Bain — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:51:53 -0500

Defense expert becomes president of global security foundation.

SAN FRANCISCO (2/20/2008) – Ploughshares Fund today named Joseph Cirincione, a highly-regarded policy expert and Capitol Hill veteran, as its new president. “At a moment of unprecedented opportunity to foster fundamental changes in the direction of U.S. nuclear weapons policy,” said board chairman Roger Hale, “we are fortunate and delighted to welcome someone of Joe’s stature and intellect into the leadership of this organization.”

Ploughshares Fund is a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and to prevent conflicts that could lead to the use of these weapons.

Cirincione is the author of the 2007 critically- acclaimed book, Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. He served as senior vice president for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress, and previously for eight years as director of the nonproliferation program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He worked for over nine years on the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the Government Operations Committee. Cirincione is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and teaches at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service.

In recent months, Cirincione has appeared in the media and has written extensively about a “new moment” for nuclear disarmament; that is, the confluence of global political changes that have opened the potential to set the U.S. and the world on a path toward dramatically reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons. “Rarely have the political stars aligned so dramatically,” says Cirincione. “And Ploughshares Fund is uniquely positioned to make the most of this moment, by leveraging its 25-year track record as a high-impact funder of security and peace initiatives, its expanding grantmaking capacity and its renewed commitment to increase support for the most effective people and organizations in the field.” He noted Ploughshares’ near-completion of a $25 million endowment campaign and innovative measures recently adopted by the board to maximize the use of its capital resources.

The fund, based in San Francisco, announced plans to open a Washington, DC office, and to develop and fund projects designed to sustain the momentum for a new direction in nuclear weapons policy. Added Executive Director Naila Bolus, “Joe is the right person to take on this new role at this moment. Having worked in both government and civil society, he understands the essential role of non-governmental actors in generating new ideas and practical policy solutions. With Joe’s vision and leadership, and Ploughshares Fund’s expanded capacity, we are confident that we can capitalize on this historic opportunity to build a better, safer world.”

Joseph Cirincione will join the fund on March 5, 2008. Ploughshares Fund is supported by individuals, families and foundations.

Ploughshares Fund