As long as American presidents have commanded nuclear arsenals, they have yearned to be rid of them. These weapons "must be abolished before they abolish us", John F. Kennedy said. Ronald Reagan dreamed of their "total elimination". In a 2009 Prague speech Barack Obama vowed "concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons". Speaking in Berlin on June 19th-four years after his Prague speech was cheered, then ignored-Mr Obama tried again, announcing a series of steps towards disarmament. Some are in his gift, eg, limiting the scenarios that would trigger American nuclear strikes. But most require consent from others, from Russia to the Senate in Washington, dc.
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