Atoms for Peace: Fifty Years Later
Every issue explores cutting-edge developments in technology, medicine, education, climate change, and much more. Articles provide in-depth analyses of science and technology’s impact on public policy, the economy, and society—bringing today’s best minds to bear on tomorrow’s most critical topics.
Editor's Journal
Talk to Me
No president has ever lacked for free advice. Everyone has some policy wisdom to share. But the Bush administration has been plagued with advice-related complaints. It began with receiving secret advice on… Read More
From the Hill
From the Hill – Spring 2004
Defense, homeland security dominate Bush’s FY 2005 R&D budget Less than two weeks after Congress finally completed its work on the fiscal year (FY) 2004 budget, President Bush on February 2 released… Read More
Features
Archives – Spring 2004
Photo: NAS Archives Atoms for Peace Award Neils Bohr, the Danish physicist who received the Nobel prize for his work on the structure of the atom, received the first Atoms for Peace… Read MoreDeterring Nuclear Terrorism
Contrary to popular belief, with a little technological innovation, deterrence can become a useful strategy against terrorist use of nuclear weapons. Has terrorism made deterrence obsolete? President Bush articulated the prevailing view… Read MoreStronger Measures Needed to Prevent Proliferation
An updated Atoms for Peace program is needed to help solve problems of national and international security brought about by increased civilian use of nuclear energy. Fifty years ago, U.S. President Dwight… Read MoreNeeded: A Revitalized National S&T Policy
The proposed 2005 federal budget puts the nation at risk by shortchanging support for critical research activities. A lot has been said and written recently about U.S. manufacturing job losses. Much of… Read MoreImproving Prediction of Energy Futures
Most energy-economic models do not provide policymakers with the information they need to make sound decisions. When federal lawmakers pass–or do not pass–legislation related to the production and use of energy, their… Read MoreSaving Earth’s Rivers
The preservation of ecosystem health must become an explicit goal of water development and management. The odds do not look good for the future of the planet’s rivers. As populations and economies… Read MoreThe Hype about Hydrogen
We can’t use hydrogen’s long-term potential as an excuse to avoid taking action now on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen and fuel cell cars are being hyped today as few technologies have… Read MoreA 21st-Century Role for Nuclear Weapons
New security challenges and improved conventional weapons mean new roles and requirements for nuclear weapons. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has become a metaphor for 21st-century security concerns. Although… Read MoreAtoms for Peace after 50 Years
President Eisenhower’s hopes for nuclear technology still resonate, but the challenges of fulfilling them are much different today. On December 8, 1953, President Eisenhower, returning from his meeting with the leaders of… Read MoreThe Hope for Hydrogen
We should embrace hydrogen largely because of the absence of a more compelling long-term option. The history of alternative transportation fuels is largely a history of failures. Methanol never progressed beyond its… Read MoreThe Nuclear Power Bargain
The potential benefits are enormous if we can continue to make progress on safety, environmental, fuel supply, and proliferation concerns. President Dwight D. Eisenhower electrified the United Nations (UN) General Assembly with… Read MoreNuclear Technology’s Numerous Uses
We should not let unjustified fear of radiation create obstacles to continued progress and benefits. In his 1953 “Atoms for Peace” address to the United Nations, President Dwight D. Eisenhower challenged scientists… Read More
Real Numbers
Real Numbers: Small cities, big problems
Cities are home to nearly half of the world’s population, and over the next 30 years most of the 2-billion-person increase in global population is expected to occur in cities and towns… Read More
Book Reviews
The New Knowledge Economy
The Gifts of Athena: Historical Origins of the Knowledge Economy, by Joel Mokyr. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2002, 376 pp. The past decade has seen increasing realization that the U.S.… Read MoreBook Review: Unconventional weapons
Unconventional weapons Ultimate Security: Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, Janne E. Nolan, Bernard L. Finel, and Brian D. Finlay, eds. New York: Century Foundation Press, 2003, 312 pp. Jonathan B. Tucker… Read More