nuclear weapons

If nuclear waste was handled by a technology called "reprocessing," more energy could be extracted from it, keeping more radioactive material out of nuclear waste dumps.

But reprocessing is expensive and can contribute to the spread of nuclear weapons. These drawbacks have crippled interest in the technology — until now.

President Obama signed a new strategic arms deal with Russia on Thursday in Prague, where he spoke one year ago of a world without nuclear weapons.

The so-called New START requires both the U.S. and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals. It still must be ratified by the U.S.

Senate and the Russian Duma.

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President Obama is revamping the country's nuclear posture, limiting the circumstances under which the U.S. would use nuclear weapons.

The Nuclear Posture Review was a year in the making and breaks from previous reports. Some arms control advocates say the president is taking a cautious line, even though he often speaks about his efforts to move toward a world without nuclear weapons.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Pessimists say the events of the past year in North Korea and Iran have seriously undermined international efforts to stem the spread of nuclear weapons.

But seen through the prism of history, the state of nuclear proliferation may not be all that dire.

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