Spotlight Series: 1,400 Ways to Die: How (Not) to Live with Nuclear Weapons

Seventy-four years after Hiroshima, the specter of a civilization-ending nuclear war is again visible. Progress between the United States and Russia toward a nuclear-free world has stalled. We face the likelihood of a renewed nuclear arms race, exceeding in expense and risk the experience of the 1950s and 1960s. Learn what citizens should know about the world’s nuclear arsenals, US nuclear weapons policy, and how we can make wiser choices.

Speaker Thomas Countryman has been Chairman of the Arms Control Association since 2017. The ACA is a nonpartisan NGO which analyzes key national security issues and advises the executive branch, Congress and the public on choices that promote global security and reduce risk from weapons of mass destruction.

Countryman retired from the Senior Foreign Service in January 2017 after 35 years of service. At that time, he served simultaneously as acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and as Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, a position he held since September 2011. The ISN Bureau leads the US effort to prevent the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, their related materials, and their delivery systems. Previously he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs (2009-10), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs (2010-11), with responsibility for the Balkans region. He served overseas at US Embassies in Belgrade, Tunis, Cairo, Rome and Athens; and served in the US at the United Nations, the White House and the Pentagon. Born and raised in Tacoma, Countryman attended Bellarmine Prep, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Snacks and wine will be available for purchase. Cash only.

Tell your friends you're going to this Travel Talk by sharing the Facebook Event here.