Obama and the Bomb: New START, Russia and the Politics of Post-Cold War Arms Control

“Obama and the Bomb is a timely reminder of what is ahead for us if we hope to recreate a treaty structure to constrain strategic nuclear weapons competition between Russia and the United States. Jones reminds us that any high-level negotiation has US negotiators looking over their shoulders at interested senators, bosses in the White House, and “partners” across the table in the other government. A must read for anyone interested in national security and what it takes to maintain it.” (Robert Gallucci, Professor, Georgetown University, and former Ambassador-at-Large)

“Obama and the Bomb is an outstanding analysis of New STARTR—detailed and comprehensive in its coverage of the issues. Its focus on the politics of the negotiations is complemented by its assessment of the strategic level, covering all the key issues of nuclear arms control and nuclear weapons modernization. It is an excellent work; I would recommend it as the best single resource on the politics of New START and Obama’s nuclear arms control policy.” (William W. Newmann, author of “Isolation and Engagement: Presidential Decision Making on China from Kennedy to Nixon”)

“Frank Jones’ insightful Obama and the Bomb does a masterful job of pulling back the veil obscuring the sensitive negotiations that unfolded over 15 years ago. He brings the reader into the negotiating room and elucidates the critical factors that shaped and motivated US policymakers and institutions, and ultimately led to the treaty’s signature and enactment. This meticulously researched book is certain to become the definitive examination of New START negotiations and ratification.” (John R. Deni, PhD, Senior Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council)

“Frank Jones’ Obama and the Bomb is a must read for scholars, historians, students as well as contemporary practitioners of American national security policy. He thoroughly explains how the Obama administration sought to use arms control policy to achieve its strategic objectives with Russia while satisfying the demands of US allies and domestic politics. As we face an increasingly complex and dangerous world, the lessons to be learned from this book in terms of the success and the failures of these negotiations are invaluable to the formulation of future policy.” (Jeffery D. McCausland, Colonel, US Army (retired), former staff member, National Security Council)

“Frank Jones’ Obama and the Bomb is an intricately woven and extremely well-researched documentation of the nuanced workings of the negotiation of the New START treaty, a core part of President Obama’s “reset” and vision for future nuclear disarmament. Jones portrays its importance in vivid color, articulating all the critical issues. There is much to be learned from this book, both in terms of understanding this pivotal treaty and in negotiating future pacts.” (Dr. Genevieve Lester, Georgetown University, and Associate Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies)

This book is the first study of how President Barack Obama and his administration used the negotiation and ratification of an arms control treaty, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), as a vehicle for advancing one of the president’s primary foreign policy objectives, a reset of US relations with Russia in the early years of his first term of office. It is a study of the administration’s efforts to move from a president’s strategic vision to defining that vision as a policy priority and ultimately, successfully negotiating what the president deemed the first and most important element of the reset agenda.

Frank Leith Jones is a distinguished fellow of the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he taught in the Department of National Security and Strategy until his retirement in 2022. He is the author of Blowtorch: Robert Komer, Vietnam, and American Cold War Strategy (2013) and Sam Nunn: Statesman of the Nuclear Age (2020).