A ticking time bomb

Albert Einstein, one of the most instrumental scientists in making nuclear weaponry a reality, once said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

For former secretary of defense, William Perry, this is not an option.

In a presentation sponsored by the School of Public Policy, Perry, who served under former President Bill Clinton, addressed the issue of nuclear proliferation in Van Munching Hall yesterday afternoon.

The lecture, which summarized his work in international relations, touted accomplishments but also sent a clear message: when it comes to stabilizing the international nuclear threat, we have a long way to go.

"During my time in office, I saw the dismantlement of 10,000 nuclear weapons," Perry said. "Now, the world's going the other way."

Perry advocates a highly contentious position: universal nuclear disarmament. He said that for the U.S. to persuade other countries to dismantle their nuclear programs, the military must lead the way.

The current global threat of terrorism and allowing certain countries, such as North Korea, Iran and Pakistan to continue their nuclear programs, could pose a potentially catastrophic threat to the rest of the world, Perry said.

"A nuclear bomb in one of our cities would dwarf Sept. 11, [2001]," he said. "The real danger is not that a country like Iran would fire nuclear weapons if they got them, because that would be suicide. But, it increases the probability that [nuclear weapons] will fall into the hands of terrorists - that danger is very real."

The presentation, complete with video documentation of some of Perry's diplomatic excursions to North Korea and Iran, concluded with a question-and-answer segment in which audience members asked Perry about everything from the tension between Israel and Iran to our country's political future .

Faculty made up a majority of the audience, a demographic which surprised the few students in attendance.

"I was really surprised when I walked in and saw all these suits," freshman government and politics major Nikita Kandpal said. "I was like, 'Am I in the right place?' I mean, I really thought more students would be here."

Dean of the School of Public Policy Steve Fetter, who arranged the lecture, said that student attendance was a crucial component of the presentation.

"There is this tremendous need to train the next generation to focus on these problems," Fetter said. "We need to have young people who are informed so that we can pass the baton to them."

Perry couldn't agree more.

"The fact that this was open to students is extremely important," Perry said. "Something like this could be the basis for deciding what they want to do with their lives and what they want to see out of the future of our national security efforts."

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