A one day seminar on Obama’s Global Zero Initiative was held at the Department on March 04th, 2010. The speakers at the conference comprised of Prof Michael Krepon, Co-founder & President Emeritus, Henry L Stimson Center, Washington DC, Dr. George Perkovich, Vice President for studies & Director, Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA and Brig (Retd) Feroz Hasan Khan, Faculty, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California. Dr. Rifaat Hussain, Chairman DSS Department moderated the seminar.
The presenters spoke about the need for an enabling strategic environment, and adequate confidence building measures to aspire for a global (nuclear) zero. The route to achieve a global zero is not at all simple, and fraught with many challenges, but the essential first step for the USA is to help reduce tensions in concerned geo-strategic regions. Unless there is significant threat reduction, the rationale for using conventional and then strategic weapons would remain very pertinent. The speakers’ presentations were followed by an intense Q&A session from the audience, which comprised of PhD, M Phil and Masters’ level students along with select invitees. During the Q& A session, the DSS students, asked many questions regarding the theme.