The Kansas City Public Library hosts a discussion about the history of the United States’ nuclear weapons policy and the current controversies surrounding nuclear weapons including events in Iran on Thursday, September 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

A Chain Reaction: Nuclear Weapons, Policy, and People will be presented by Lt. Gen. (retired) Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Dr. Ira Helfand, co-founder of the national Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain have said that nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism are among the gravest threats to U.S. and international security. Gard and Helfand attempt to clarify their positions as well as the current United States policy on nuclear weapons.

Gard and Helfand will also discuss the potential humanitarian and environmental effects of a limited, regional nuclear war.

The program is co-sponsored by the International Relations Council and the Park University International Center for Civic Engagement.