CNS News & Views: September 2022

Middlebury Institute of International Studies

September 2022

How to Rebuild the Global Nuclear Order Post-Ukraine?

The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) hosted a seminar with CNS Distinguished Professor of Practice, Dr. Siegfried (Sig) Hecker on September 16, 2022. The seminar, titled “How to Rebuild the Global Nuclear Order post-Ukraine?” was moderated by CNS founder and director, Dr. William Potter.

Dr. Hecker presented on several aspects of the current state of the nuclear order and the nonproliferation regime and highlighted the importance of scientists and diplomats working together on these complex issues. This seminar created a space for CNS experts and MIIS students to engage government officials and senior scientists on topics of deterrence, rationality, and the ethics of nuclear order. Senator Nunn, founder of the Nunn-Lugar program that was created for the purpose of securing and dismantling weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the former states of the Soviet Union, offered valuable comments and insights to the discussion.

Watch the recording

Launch of the 2022 Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Mentorship Programme

On September 19, 2022, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) and the International Affairs Institute (IAI), launched the 2nd edition of Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (YWNPD) Mentorship Programme. The Mentorship Programme is part of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) and aims to offer each cohort of twenty young women networking and career opportunities in nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament through mentorship and participation in global and regional conferences, seminars, and social events.

The launch event was opened by the VCDNP Executive Director, Elena Sokova, the IAI Executive Vice-President, Ettore Greco, and the EUNPDC Chair, Sibylle Bauer who welcomed the new cohort and congratulated new mentees. Three former mentees shared personal experiences during the program and how it helped build professional networks, make connections, and create opportunities.

CNS GRAs Present Findings at the Project on Nuclear Issues’ 2022 Summer Conference

Three CNS graduate research assistants (GRAs) participated in the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) 2022 Summer Conference, hosted at Sandia National Laboratories in early September. The PONI Summer Conference provides a platform for sharing new thinking on a range of nuclear issues by featuring research from emerging nuclear experts and bringing together emerging thought leaders from across the nuclear enterprise and policy communities.

CNS GRAs Hannah Harris, Karl Riedel, and Adeline du Crest presented research to technical and policy experts from national laboratories, government agencies, and civil society. Ms. Harris presented on the role of international scientific cooperation and dual-use technologies in the development of North Korea’s nuclear missile program, Mr. Riedel elaborated on the myth of Japanese nuclear ambitions as a response to U.S. negative assurance ambiguity and evolving threat landscapes, and Ms. du Crest discussed the contributions of women’s networks to strengthening nuclear safeguards culture.

New CNS DC website focused on trade compliance and guidance for emerging technology sectors

The CNS office in Washington, DC has launched a new website focused on export control compliance topics. CNS in DC is undertaking research in export controls for emerging technology controls, particularly in strategic competition, and has developed guidance for several emerging technology sectors on how to best ensure compliance with export controls and nonproliferation aims more broadly.

Guidance includes more than 30 case studies related to technology transfers involving Russia and China as well as sections on Strategic Competition, Trends in Technology Acquisition, Sectoral Analysis, Red Flags, and Compliance Guidance. Additional website resources include Introduction to Export Controls, Trade Compliance in Universities and Research Institutes, and Proliferation Finance. Stay tuned for continuing research and upcoming content updates to this central hub for information on CNS’s research on trade controls and emerging technology proliferation.

Louis Reitmann Shares Ways out of NPT Deadlock at European Forum Alpbach

Research Associate Louis Reitmann of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) shared ideas on how the EU and its Member States can help revitalize the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the European Forum Alpbach. Joined by former Spanish Foreign Minister and Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs Arancha González Laya, the panel discussion also touched on the dangerous trend of nuclear arsenal expansion and modernization, as well as the urgent need for broad civic engagement for nuclear risk reduction and disarmament.

Mr. Reitmann stressed that broadening access to peaceful uses of nuclear technologies would help ease tensions over the lack of nuclear disarmament. Building on a paper titled Balancing the Three Pillars of the NPT: How Can Promoting Peaceful Uses Help? by VCDNP colleagues Ingrid Kirsten and Mara Zarka, Mr. Reitmann recommended that the EU Commission should finance peaceful uses projects under the IAEA Technical Cooperation programme and Peaceful Uses Initiative.