CNS News & Views: December 2021 & January 2022

Middlebury Institute of International Studies

December 2021 & January 2022

Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network

CNS concluded 2021 with the successful launch of The Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network. The establishment of this professional network for women working in nuclear fields in the Black Sea region took place during a virtual workshop hosted by CNS, in partnership with the Odessa Center for Nonproliferation and WiN (Women in Nuclear) Ukraine, from November 29 to December 3, 2021.

The network’s mission is to connect, support, and empower women in nuclear fields in the Black Sea region. Interdisciplinary by nature, the network will bring together women in STEM and policy from national governments, industry, civil society, and academia from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, among other countries. The network will serve as a platform for professionals to promote gender equity and increase women’s leadership roles, as well as offer professional exchanges, mentoring, and training opportunities.

Read about the workshop

Deans of US - Russia Diplomacy

VCDNP Senior Research Associate Dr. Hanna Notte hosted the second set of interviews for The Ambassadorial Series titled “Deans of US–Russia Diplomacy.” The Ambassadorial Series is a docuseries hosted by the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (MIR) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), which features in-depth interviews with former U.S. ambassadors to Russia and the Soviet Union.

In 6+ hours of conversations, Dr. Notte discussed crucial events and developments in US-Russia relations with Ambassadors Jack F. Matlock (1987-1991), Thomas R. Pickering (1993-1996), and James F. Collins (1997-2001). The ambassadors shared personal experiences in navigating the challenges in bilateral relations during the 1990s, including: the first Gulf War, unrest in the Balkans, Russia’s relationship with its new neighbors, nuclear arms control, and NATO expansion, among other issues. Given the current tensions and poor state of bilateral relations, the ambassadors' reflections were timely.

Watch the Ambassadorial Series

Critical Issues Forum 5^th Speaker Series Youth Empowerment, Disarmament Education and Social Justice

In December, CNS hosted the fifth Critical Issues Forum (CIF) Speaker Series titled “How Can Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education Empower Students to Tackle Complex Social Justice Issues?” Speakers included Jasmine Owens, the Lead Organizer and Policy Coordinator for the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program at the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), Rayna Rogers, a recent MIIS graduate with a master’s degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies, and Andrew King, lead teacher at CIF for over 10 years and Assistant Principal of the Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School.

During the panel discussion, King advised the audience, “If we start letting high school students know that there are many ways to access these global issues whether it be through science, through politics, through international relations, we can start preparing the next generation of nuclear professionals earlier on…. The role of educators is to simply say it is okay to not know, it is okay to want to learn. Tell me what you’re curious about and if I don’t know, let's go find the answer together.”

Watch the webinar

Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower Videocast

Ms. Sarah Bidgood (CNS) and Dr. Hanna Notte (VCDNP) are launching Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower on February 1, 2021, a new videocast series on arms control, nonproliferation, and international security issues. In each episode, Sarah and Hanna will host expert guests to discuss their latest cutting-edge research and what it means for the most pressing challenges facing policymakers today. Aiming to break down complex topics in ways that bridge the divide between scholarship and the real world, they bring Machiavelli into the Ivory Tower!

In the first episode of the series, Sarah and Hanna speak with Stanford University Prof. Scott Sagan about his recently co-authored article in International Security entitled, “The Rule of Law and the Role of Strategy in US Nuclear Doctrine.” The conversation tackles the relationship between nuclear doctrine and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), related ethical and legal concerns, the implications for US policymakers and military planners, recommendations for the upcoming Nuclear Posture Review, and more generally the dangers inherent in “siloing” legal and strategic studies. In their second episode, which will be released in early March, Sarah and Hanna will be speaking about cyber issues with Dr. Elena Chernenko, special correspondent at the Kommersant daily newspaper in Moscow, Russia. Watch the trailer and look for the February 1^st launch of Episode 1 on the CNS website and YouTube channel!

Watch the trailer

Paid Summer Undergraduate Fellowship - Apply by February 25

Each summer, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) hosts a group of undergraduate students from around the country for the Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program. The program accepts highly qualified students from a variety of academic majors and runs from early June through late August. Fellows complete independent research projects and work alongside CNS experts on unique, academically rigorous, enriching, and innovative programs. Applications for summer 2022 close February 25, 2022. Please spread the word!