On December 9, Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Matthew Kroenig was quoted by the Financial Times in an article titled “US spooks allies by seeking ways to clarify nuclear weapons posture.” The article described how the Biden administration is seeking to clarify the situations in which it would use nuclear weapons in the upcoming Nuclear Posture Review document. Kroenig noted the concern that such a statement might send the message that the US is not willing to use nuclear weapons to defend its allies against large scale conventional attacks.
The audience for weakening nuclear declaratory policy is the progressive left…Russia and China will see it as a weakening and the allies are very concerned. It comes down to priorities. Which audience matters more to Biden?
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The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world.