Emma Ashford: Arms Control Was Once Trump’s Signature Issue
In her new essay for Foreign Policy on February 13, 2026, the FP columnist and Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center Emma Ashford argues that the changing multipolar nuclear environment needs U.S. President Donald Trump to channel the passion he had for nuclear disarmament as a younger man.
Iran Dangles Investment Proposals as Off-Ramp From Trump’s Gunboat Diplomacy
Reports suggest that several unique proposals have been produced through two rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran to address the Iranian nuclear program. These include a possible agreement for the Iranians to purchase American aircraft and Iran granting access to oil and gas fields and joint investment opportunities.
X-Energy is Building a Gen IV Reactor it Claims Can’t Meltdown
Maryland-based company X-Energy is developing a Generation IV nuclear reactor, Xe-100, a pebble-bed, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) that reportedly cannot melt down. The 80-megawatt electrical (MWe) reactor is fully modular and can be scaled into a ‘four-pack’ 320 MWe power plant.
Jeffrey Donovan and Christina Talacko: California Needs to End its Outdated Nuclear Power Plant Moratorium
In an opinion essay for the San Francisco Chronicle on February 18, 2026, Jeffrey Donovan and Christina Talacko, co-founders of the advisory firm GLOW Strategies, argue that it is time for California to overturn its 50-year moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants in the state.
U.S. Seeking to Boost Nuclear Energy Ties in Slovakia, Hungary
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced measures to promote nuclear power projects using American technology in Slovakia and Hungary. Rubio said that the recently-signed intergovernmental agreement between the United States and Slovakia will begin with U.S. funding for the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for a “new Westinghouse large reactor build.”
Podcast of the Week: Lucas
This week, I listened to a new episode of the Foreign Policy Live podcast titled “Is the Nuclear Club Expanding?” This episode featured a live interview between Foreign Policy Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael M. Grossi. The pair discussed issues ranging from the expiration of New START, the expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal, and the gridlocked negotiations between the United States and Iran. Filmed on the margins of the 2026 Munich Security Conference, DG Grossi provides his take on these issues while leading one of the most important international bodies in this increasingly tense geopolitical environment.