Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies

The Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies (IDDS) "is an independent, non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt center dedicated to research, alternative policy studies, and public education on ways to reduce the risk of war, minimize military spending, and foster democratic institutions.

"Founded in 1980 by Director Dr Randall Forsberg, the Institute has a Board of Directors drawn from several universities (MIT, Cornell, Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, Georgetown), but is not formally affiliated with them. The Institute is supported financially by a combination of foundation grants, individual donations, and income from subscriptions to our specialized reference works...

"The Institute’s alternative policy publications and activities center on two coalition-based projects. Global Action to Prevent War is a carefully-developed program of policies and activities to help move the world toward a future in which war is rare, brief, and small in scale; it is also a transnational coalition of individuals, organizations, and governments dedicated to identifying and implementing these policies and activities. UrgentCall.org is a petition-based project supported by a coalition of US-based groups. It focuses on educating a public on current US nuclear weapon and arms control policies and options for a better path to security." Originally funded by Alan Kay.

Directors (2005)
Accessed September 2009:


 * Judith Reppy, Board Chair, Founding board member (1980); Professor, Department of Science and Technology Studies, and Associate Director, Peace Studies Program, Cornell University.
 * Hayward Alker, Former President and founding board member (1980)
 * John A. McCone Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California School of International Relations
 * Joshua Cohen, Board member since 1993
 * Leon Goldberg and [[Anne Goldberg Professor of the Humanities (philosophy and political science), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * Bruce Cumings, Board member since 2001
 * Norman Freehling and Edna Freehling Professor of History, University of Chicago.
 * [[Jonathan Dean, Member since 1990; Adviser on Global Security Issues, Union of Concerned Scientists
 * Matthew Evangelista, Board member since 1993; Professor, Department of Government, and Director, Peace Studies Program, Cornell University
 * Natalie Goldring, Board member since 1990; Executive Director, Security Studies Program and the Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University, Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service
 * Robert Legvold, Board member since 1993; Professor, Department of Political Science, Columbia University
 * Philip Morrison*, Founding board member (1980); MIT Institute Professor Emeritus, former Professor of Theoretical Physics, specializing in Astronomy and Cosmology. *Deceased 22 April 2005.

OFFICERS
 * Jonathan Dean, President, Officer since 1995
 * Joshua Cohen, Treasurer, Officer since 1995
 * Alex Brown, Secretary,Officer since 2001
 * Ann Hallan Lakhdhir, IDDS UN Representative, Founding officer (1980)
 * Randall Caroline Forsberg, Executive Director, Founding officer (1980)

Contact

 * Web: http://www.idds.org