This study guide assists teachers in increasing students' understanding of the prevalence and spread of nuclear weapons and familiarizes students with historic and contemporary measures to control nuclear proliferation and stimulates their thinking of potential strategies for doing so in the future.

A primary security concern in today’s world is the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation. States beyond the five “original” nuclear weapons-possessing countries (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States) are seeking to acquire, or have already acquired, nuclear materials, industrial systems to produce plutonium or uranium, and delivery systems, such as missiles and airplanes. Moreover, non-state actors are seeking to acquire nuclear materials and weaponry. What can be done to limit the proliferation of such dangerous weapons?

Objectives of the Teaching Guide

  • To increase student understanding of the prevalence and spread of nuclear weapons;
  • To familiarize students with historic and contemporary measures to control nuclear proliferation and stimulate their thinking of potential strategies for doing so in the future;
  • To develop students’ analytical reading, writing, and research skills;
  • To reinforce students’ abilities to collaborate and produce a work product with peers using traditional and electronic means of research, discussion, and document preparation;
  • To enable classroom teachers, students, and contest coordinators to:
    • Understand the overall theme of the National Peace Essay Contest (NPEC) topic;
    • Define and understand the concepts contained in the essay question;
    • Formulate a thesis for their essay;
    • Review bibliographic resources and select qualified sources for their research;
    • Write, edit, and submit essays to the United States Institute of Peace;
    • To provide teachers with lesson plans, worksheets, bibliographic sources, and factual material to assist them in preparing students to write essays for submission to the National Peace Essay Contest.

The Teaching Guide includes all lesson plans, student handouts and instructions.


Related Research & Analysis

Conflict Management Training for Peacekeepers (CMTP)

Conflict Management Training for Peacekeepers (CMTP)

Monday, March 10, 2025

USIP’s Conflict Management Training for Peacekeepers (CMTP) program trains uniform members of national militaries who serve in international and regional peacekeeping missions. The training aims to improve mission effectiveness and bolster trust in the mission by focusing on skills and knowledge that enhance professional conduct among troops. The program, which began in 2008, is implemented in partnership with the Department of State’s Global Peace Operations Initiative in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

Type: Fact Sheet

Border Security Training Program (BSTP)

Border Security Training Program (BSTP)

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

USIP’s Border Security Training Program (BSTP) trains police officers from Kenya’s Border Police Unit (BPU) and General Service Unit (GSU) who are serving on al-Shabaab’s major transit corridor along the Kenya-Somalia border. The program, which began in 2017, is implemented in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and equips Kenyan police with the skills to better understand the civilian environment and cultivate relationships in order to more effectively achieve their mission and counter terrorist activity.

Type: Fact Sheet

Walking the Civil Rights Trail with USIP’s John Lewis Peace Fellows

Walking the Civil Rights Trail with USIP’s John Lewis Peace Fellows

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

This summer, the inaugural cohort of USIP’s John Lewis Peace Fellows visited sites related to the civil rights movement in Georgia and Alabama — such as the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma — and met with people who knew Congressman Lewis to learn more about his lifelong commitment to peace and nonviolent action. The fellows discuss how this experience has helped them become better peacebuilders and how they plan to bring the legacy of John Lewis back to their own countries and communities.

Type: Blog

Amid Central Asia’s Struggle with Extremism, Uzbekistan Promotes Pluralism

Amid Central Asia’s Struggle with Extremism, Uzbekistan Promotes Pluralism

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

An Islamic State affiliate’s recent terror attacks in Russia, Iran and Afghanistan rang alarm bells in Central Asian capitals. Almost all the perpetrators of ISIS-Khorasan’s (ISIS-K) attacks were citizens of Central Asia, rekindling considerable concern over the threat of homegrown violent extremism in the region. 

Type: Analysis

View All Research & Analysis