John Isaacs

Biography provided by participant

John Isaacs has served as executive director of Council for a Livable World since 1991, headed the Washington office since 1981 and lobbied for the Council since 1978. He also serves as Executive Director of the Council's sister organization, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Isaacs is one of the most respected and senior leaders of the nation's arms control community, and one of Washington, D.C.'s foremost experts on Congress and national security issues. He has been profiled in both Congressional Quarterly and National Journal. He has authored numerous studies, fact sheets and briefing books on arms control, weapons of mass destruction and military budget issues. He is frequently interviewed for television and radio shows and for newspaper stories. He founded the Monday Lobby Group, a meeting every Monday of lobby group representatives that has been meeting since 1981, now called Nuclear Weapons Working Group, and organized annual retreats and conferences of the community as well as meetings of the directors of the organizations. Isaacs serves on the Board of Directors of Americans for Democratic Action, Arms Control Association and the Scoville Peace Fellowship. He writes extensively for the Council's blog and other outlets and has published articles in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and many other publications. Previously Isaacs worked as a legislative assistant for former New York Representative Stephen Solarz (1975-77), a legislative representative at Americans for Democratic Action (1972-75) and as a Foreign Service Officer stationed in Vietnam working on the pacification program (1969-71). Council for a Livable World is an organization founded in 1962 by eminent nuclear physicist Leo Szilard to warn the public and Congress of the threat of nuclear war. The Council lobbies Congress on arms control and other national security issues. It is also a political action committee raising funds for Senate and House candidates, raising $1.4 million for Senate and House candidates in 2007-2008 and helping elect Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Colorado Senator Mark Udall and New Mexico Senator Tom Udall. Some of the major issues of the Council at this time are opposition to new nuclear weapons and National Missile Defense, support for deep reductions in nuclear stockpiles and an expansion of non-proliferation programs, an end to U.S. involvement in the Iraq war and promotion of diplomatic solutions to the nuclear aspirations of Iran and North Korea.