Peter Kuznick

Peter Kuznick is Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, where he teaches courses including U.S. History since 1865 (HIST-206) and American Culture in the Nuclear Age (HIST-448). He founded the Nuclear Studies Institute in 1995 and has directed its acclaimed programs for three decades.

His educational background includes:

• BA, Rutgers University
• MA, Rutgers University
• PhD in History, Rutgers University (1984)

Kuznick's research centers on nuclear history, Cold War culture, and U.S. political activism, with emphasis on scientists' roles in social movements and the consequences of nuclear weapons. His scholarship bridges historical analysis with contemporary nuclear policy advocacy, exploring how nuclear annihilation fears have shaped global strategy and public consciousness since 1945.

His publications reveal consistent focus on historical revisionism regarding U.S. foreign policy, particularly concerning atomic bombings and Vietnam. Works like The Untold History of the United States challenge mainstream narratives through interdisciplinary analysis of military, political, and cultural dimensions of nuclear age history.

Key recognition includes his ongoing service as Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer.

Kuznick mentors students through the Nuclear Studies Institute's summer program, leading annual study-abroad trips to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki since 1995. He co-founded the Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy with Hiroshima's mayor and scholars Mark Selden and John Dower, driving international nuclear education initiatives.

The Nuclear Studies Institute operates as a multidisciplinary hub for nuclear abolition research, hosting exhibits with Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities and earning recognition as North America's most creative summer program.