Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists - The Bulletin Today

The Bulletin Today

In more recent years, articles of the Bulletin have focused on many topics, ranging from the dangers of radiation following the Chernobyl disaster to the impact of the fall of the Soviet Union. In the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, other articles have focused on things such as military spending. The cover story of the May/June 1998 issue entitled Plain Crazy: The Joint Strike Fighter Story discussed the development of a new set of military fighter jets that could "blow a hole in the attempt to create a leaner Post-Cold War military." With the ever-growing number of nuclear power plants and the demand for nuclear energy, the Bulletin has focused a great deal on the dangers and problems surrounding nuclear energy. One such focal point was the Chernobyl accident and its aftermath in the 1980s. Although the arms race and the Cold War, which were focuses of the Bulletin for many of the earlier years, are no longer occurring, the Bulletin still focuses on the nuclear dangers that exist in the world today. As more countries such as Pakistan and India have tested nuclear weapons, the Bulletin has focused on the dangers posed by these countries. One article written in August 1992 by David Albright and Mark Hibbs discussed Pakistan’s bomb development and how, after the demise of the Soviet Union, other nations such as Pakistan were beginning to develop nuclear programs.

Even more recently, there have been articles written about the threat of North Korea. In an article written for the January/ February 2002 issue of the Bulletin, David Albright and Holly Higgins addressed the threat of North Korea and the many dangers that could result from the poor relationship between North Korea and the rest of the world. The potential dangers of nuclear weapons and energy, as well as military and political developments in the Post-Cold War world, have been the focus of the Bulletin in the most recent years.

The Bulletin sponsors the Leonard M. Rieser Fellowship in Science, Technology, and Global Security, which provides one-time awards of $2,500-$5,000 to undergraduate students seeking to explore the connections between science, technology, global security, and public policy.

The current Executive Director of The Bulletin is Kennette Benedict. The editor is Mindy Kay Bricker.