This week in OtherWords, we’re highlighting the debate over the Obama administration’s nuclear weapons policy, with op-eds by Peter Weiss and James C. Lewis and a cartoon by Khalil Bendib.

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1. Obama Sharpens His Nuclear Posture / Peter Weiss
   A new Pentagon document indicates that contingent plans for the use of nuclear weapons are being made, with the self-evidently impossible task of minimizing collateral damage.
2. It Can’t Happen Here / Tiffany Williams
   Au pairs may get an experience they didn’t bargain for when they head for a stint in the United States.
3. One Step at a Time / Chris Schillig
   The middle ground the Boy Scouts found on gay rights is one that rankles as much as it pleases.
4. Smaller Arsenals Beat Bigger Ones / James C. Lewis
   Obama is trying to enhance U.S. national security by reducing the threat of nuclear weapons.
5. Taking Embarrassing to a New Level / Donald Kaul
   Every administration hits rough waters.
6. Predistribute the Wealth / Sam Pizzigati
   The market has stopped working for working people.
7. A Deadly Power Surge / Jill Richardson
   Fracking might be profitable, but whether it’s good for anything else is doubtful.
8. North Carolina Rips More Holes in Its Safety Net / Jim Hightower
   If ignorance is bliss, Governor McCrory must be ecstatic.
9. Syrian Dead End / Emily Schwartz Greco and William A. Collins
   How can the United States afford to keep proving that it’s bad at bringing peace to conflict-ridden Middle Eastern countries?
10. Washington Goes AWOL / Khalil Bendib cartoonEmily Schwartz Greco is the managing editor of OtherWords, a non-profit national editorial service run by the Institute for Policy Studies. OtherWords.org
    
    

    Washington Goes AWOL, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib