Envisioning a World Free of Nuclear Weapons

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) was founded a decade ago by Ted Turner and former Senator Sam Nunn, who now serve as co-chairs of the organization. Since 2004, NTI has received nearly $4 million in Corporation grants to help advance its goal of eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons.  In April 2009, the once unimaginable prospect of a world free of nuclear threats became an official U.S. policy goal. It was announced by President Barack Obama in a landmark speech in which he declared, “Today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” NTI’s efforts have flourished even beyond that ultimate endorsement of the organization’s vision by the president of the United States. A seminal 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed by former Secretary of State George Shultz along with Nunn, former Defense Secretary William Perry and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, gained significant political traction for the idea that ridding the world of nuclear weapons not only can be achieved, but must be. Two Corporation-supported films produced by NTI, as well as other NTI programs, have also contributed to spurring an international movement toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons.