CNS News & Views: March 2021

Middlebury Institute of International Studies

March 2021

Recommendations for the Biden Administration

On March 10, 2021, CNS convened an online seminar entitled “Warfare is In Your Genes: What the Biden Administration Should Do About It.” The event was moderated by CNS Director Dr. William Potter, and featured remarks by former Secretary of Defense William Perry, former Governor of California Jerry Brown, and CNS Eurasia Program Director Sarah Bidgood.

Sec. Perry acknowledged that thermonuclear weapons had prevented World War III, while also observing that they created incentives to proliferate and the potential for a mass extinction event. He outlined three concrete policy recommendations for the new Biden administration to reduce these risks: (1) ending sole use authority, (2) prohibiting launch on warning, and (3) formalizing no first use. Gov. Brown endorsed Sec. Perry’s recommendations and offered an additional recommendation: affirming the Reagan-Gorbachev principle that a “nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” He called upon the next generation to use their voices and creativity to put these recommendations into practice. Sarah Bidgood concluded by describing how these and other unilateral measures might be implemented to reinvigorate US-Russia arms control.

View a recording of the seminar

“What Is Past Is Prologue”

Season 2 of The Deal is here! Season 1 told the story of the Iran nuclear deal, “how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us.” This season is about the options available to President Biden. Host Dr. Jeffrey Lewis says, “We’re looking at the past to understand the present with one really big question in mind: why have we made the choices we have? Why have we been so excited about attacks that don’t really slow down the Iranians, but then acted so embarrassed about diplomatic agreements that do? Why does the Biden Administration feel the need to be cautious about something that is so obviously in our interest?”

“Both sides say they want back in the deal. But there is a stand-off. Who goes first? If it seems like Washington and Tehran are making this harder than it needs to be, well, they are.” Stream the first two episodes of Season 2 and catch up on all of Season 1 wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen here

Global Health Security Implications of COVID-19

On February 25, 2021, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation hosted a webinar on the global health security implications of COVID-19 featuring Dr. Richard Pilch, Director of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program at CNS.

With the passing of the first anniversary of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many grey areas related to the virus, including its origin, emerging genetic variants, and security implications. Dr. Pilch addressed issues of concern such as the four factors that will shape the further flow of the COVID-19 pandemic; the difficulty of distinguishing between natural, accidental or deliberate outbreaks that could lead to their misinterpretation or exploitation in the future; and offered two recommendations for possible measures to prevent future pandemics.

“Rebooting Memories” with Hibakusha

On March 12, 2021, CNS hosted the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) third Speaker Series featuring three distinguished guest speakers from Japan: Ms. Masako Wada, the Assistant Secretary General of the Nihon Hidankyo’ and an atomic bombing survivor (Hibakusha) from Nagasaki; Ms. Anju Niwata, a student from the University of Tokyo and CIF alumna; and Professor Hidenori Watanave, from the University of Tokyo.

Ms. Wada shared a testimonial of her atomic bombing experience, which included her heart-wrenching experiences and the unimaginable sufferings that Hibakusha have endured. She asserted that atomic bombing survivors are not merely survivors, but also fighters aiming to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. Professor Watanave and Ms. Anju Niwata presented their best-selling book, Rebooting Memories of Prewar & War through Colorized Photographs in Collaboration with AI and Human, a project based on conjuring wartime memories through a collection of colorized photographs.

Introductory Course on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation held its first intensive introductory course on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for students of the biological and chemical sciences from February 22 – 26, 2021. The course, conducted in an online format, brought together 29 students affiliated with eight European universities as well as universities in Nigeria, the Philippines, and Russia. Women made up 59 percent of the participants and 54 percent of the lecturers.

The course covered a broad range of topics and was designed to provide an overview of the basics of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and their proliferation, existing control regimes, and the potential impact of new and emerging technologies on WMD threats. The course hosted several experts and senior officials from international organizations and academic institutions, and featured a panel discussion on new and emerging technologies.