In an opinion piece, Robert Dujarric of Temple University, Japan Campus, argued that the Obama plan to rid the world of nuclear weapons would give the U.S. more military leverage. "Achieving a total ban on nuclear weapons will not be easy," he wrote. "But working toward it is a logical goal for the U.S. Even if negotiations fail, the process will encourage more U.S. research and development on nonnuclear alternatives that, even absent the abolition of nuclear explosives, will strengthen U.S. military capabilities and deterrence."