The Global Security Institute was founded in October of 1999 by Senator Alan Cranston (1914-2000) to continue and institutionalize a life-time of dedicated work toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Following Senator Cranston’s passing, his son, Kim Cranston, was elected Chair of the Board, and Jonathan Granoff assumed the helm as GSI’s second President.
The Global Security Institute, incorporated in 1999, is the culmination of many years of accomplishments by the organization's original founders.
Moscow, Washington, D.C., New Delhi: 1993-1994
Following his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Alan Cranston became chairman of the Gorbachev Foundation/USA, the precursor to the State of the World Forum. In partnership with the Gorbachev Foundation/Moscow and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation for Contemporary Studies, Cranston developed a Global Security Program comprised of forty specialists drawn from around the world. These specialists met in Moscow in September 1993, in Washington, D.C. in May 1994, and in New Delhi in October 1994, where the Global Security Program was adopted. A report was published by the Rajiv Ghandi Institute, and its findings were presented by Mikhail Gorbachev to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in October 1994.
The final document was distributed widely to policy-makers in Washington, D.C., and 600 copies were presented to national leaders and experts in scores of countries.
In an effort to transform the Global Security Program from dialogue into action, Senator Cranston launched the Nuclear Weapon Elimination Initiative in 1995 under the auspices of the State of the World Forum, which he also chaired.
State of the World Forum: 1995-1999
The State of the World Forum provided a high-profile platform for the Nuclear Weapon Elimination Initiative to bring the message of nuclear abolition to elite decision makers and opinion shapers. Widely cited statements favoring abolition were compiled by the Initiative under Senator Cranston’s direction, including a pair of 1996 statements by military leaders and a 1998 statement by civilian leaders.
The Nuclear Weapon Elimination Initiative was a critical presence at each Forum since 1996. At these gatherings it sponsored high-level dialogues and meetings of some of today’s most important figures in peace-making and nuclear security.
Photo: General Lee Butler and Mikhail Gorbachev, State of the World Forum 1996
Global Security Institute: 1999 and Beyond
In October of 1999, an opportunity emerged for the Nuclear Weapon Elimination Initiative to expand its capacity to tackle the vital challenge of eliminating nuclear weapons. In November, the Global Security Institute was born, with an able and energetic staff, a committed board of directors, the support of a remarkable board of advisors, and an ambitious agenda.
As GSI has grown, it has modified its approach to accomodate and support four well-defined programs: the Bipartisan Security Group, Disarmament and Peace Education, the Middle Powers Initiative, and the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
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