There is no greater challenge to global peace today than the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the increasing likelihood that terrorists may acquire nuclear material. The papers presented in this report from the Trilateral Commission's 2006 annual meeting in Tokyo offer a comprehensive and insightful overview of this urgent challenge. The authors-from North America, Europe and Pacific Asia-examine the risks posed by nuclear proliferation with particular attention to Iran and North Korea and offer recommendations to prevent nuclear catastrophe.

Graham Allison, founding dean of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government. He served as assistant secretary of defense for policy and plans and is the author of “Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis,” He lives in Belmont, Massachusetts.