The curriculum unit The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons gives students the tools they need to wrestle with the questions that surround the future of nuclear weapons.
Videos for Readings: The videos below follow the outline of the printed curriculum unit. The headings correspond to the headings in the student readings.
Videos for Lessons accompany lessons in the teacher's guide of the printed curriculum unit.
Scholars Online: Videos for Readings
The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons
Scholars
Joseph Cirincione
Center for American Progress
Thomas Nichols
US Naval War College
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Former President, Brazil
Lincoln Chafee
Former US Senator
P. Terrence Hopmann
Brown University
Introduction: A New Nuclear Threat
What impact would a nuclear attack have on the United States? [Joseph Cirincione - 2:51]
Part I: The Problem of Nuclear Weapons
Teaching with the News
The U.S. and Iran: Confronting Policy Alternatives is an interactive lesson plan that engages students in consideration of divergent policy alternatives concerning current U.S. policy on Iran.
The Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race
What are the major threats we face from nuclear weapons today? [Joseph Cirincione - 3:07]
Deterrence
What is deterrence? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:29]
The Cuban Missile Crisis
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:57]
What other times have countries come close to using nuclear weapons? [Joseph Cirincione - 3:24]
Arms Control
The End of the Cold War
How did the end of the Cold War change international relations? [P. Terrence Hopmann - 1:21]
Why have we been able to avoid nuclear war since World War II? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:54]
Part II: Three Challenges—Cold War Arsenals, Proliferation, and Terrorism
What problems do we face from nuclear weapons? [Thomas Nichols - 1:57]
What are the different types of nuclear weapons and how do they work? [Joseph Cirincione - 3:20]
What types of nuclear weapons do different countries have? [Joseph Cirincione - 0:40]
Cold War Arsenals
Preventing Proliferation
Why are some countries allowed to have nuclear weapons? [Joseph Cirincione 2:03]
What stops the spread of nuclear weapons? [Joseph Cirincione - 2:33]
Why did Brazil end its nuclear weapons program? [Fernando Henrique Cardoso - 1:47]
Four Proliferation Cases
Why would countries like North Korea and Iran want nuclear weapons? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:56]
What are the issues around North Korea’s nuclear weapons program? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:29]
Why might Iran want nuclear weapons? [Jo-Anne Hart - 1:49]
Does Iran represent a threat to U.S. security? [Lincoln Chafee - 0:43]
How can the U.S. government resolve this dispute with Iran? [Lincoln Chafee - 1:19]
Terrorism
How difficult would it be for a terrorist to obtain a nuclear weapon? [Joseph Cirincione - 1:59]
What is the likelihood of a terrorist nuclear attack? [Joseph Cirincione -1:30]
Why doesn’t deterrence stop terrorists? [P. Terrence Hopmann - 1:10]