CNS News & Views: May 2022

Middlebury Institute of International Studies

May 2022

CIF Student Conference Engages High School Students

On April 30, 2022, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) hosted the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) Spring Student Conference that was attended virtually by over 100 high school students and teachers from around the world, including Japan, Russia, and the United States. The Spring Student Conference is the culmination of CIF project activities. This year's topic was “Using Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education to Empower Youth to Address Global and Social Challenges.”

Conference highlights included remarks from Dr. William Potter, CNS Founding Director, and Sarah Pattison, a long-term supporter of CIF and CNS; a keynote speech from Christopher King, Deputy Chief of the UNODA Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch; a #Youth4Disarmament initiative panel discussion; a CIF student panel discussion; live presentations of research projects and break-out sessions; and a testimonial from a Hibakusha, or atomic bombing survivor, Masako Wada. As the world is moving in the opposite direction of nuclear disarmament, we must continue to uplift the power of young people and educators to make the world a safer place.

CNS Launches the US-Black Sea Nonproliferation Exchange Initiative

Over 20 emerging and prominent nonproliferation experts from the Black Sea region, the United States, and other countries convened in Vienna to participate in an inaugural US-Black Sea Nonproliferation Exchange meeting. Participants represented governments, civil society, and academia from Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States, and also included former CNS visiting fellows, MIIS alumni, and members of the recently established Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network.

The meeting agenda featured a combination of briefings by regional experts, a meeting with H.E. Laura Holgate, Ambassador of the US Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, a tour of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) operations center, and a discussion of the group’s mission, goals, and future steps. The establishment of this professional exchange will help bring together experts from the Black Sea region to address regional challenges and to share their perspectives with US and international nonproliferation communities.

CNS Visiting Fellows speak at Monterey Rotary Club on the War in Ukraine

On May 12, 2022, CNS Visiting Fellows Valeriia Hesse and Kirill Iliin gave a talk to the Monterey Rotary Club on the war in Ukraine. The Fellows shared insights and personal accounts on the egregious atrocities of the war from their perspectives as a Ukrainian (Hesse) and a Russian (Iliin). Topics discussed included the horrific humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Russia's worst economic fall since the Soviet Union, and the implications of the invasion on global nuclear order and security. It was emphasized that the best ways to support the plight of Ukraine and its people are to ensure continued military aid to Ukraine; to cut Russian military spending by limiting its revenue through an oil and gas embargo; and to support individual Ukrainians and refugee communities.

In response to these events, the Fellows have established an NGO called Ukraine Aid. Community (UA.C) that was launched in April 2022. UA.C employs its project management and logistics capabilities to ensure accurate and timely delivery of much needed humanitarian aid and other supplies to the Ukrainian people. Across the board, UA.C's founders see it as their personal and moral duty to do what they can to help Ukraine and its people.

A Conversation with High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation (VCDNP) and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a public panel discussion on May 11, 2022 on global challenges and opportunities for multilateral disarmament, nonproliferation, and arms control. The panel discussion featured UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and was moderated by VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova.

During the discussion, High Representative Nakamitsu stressed that disarmament, arms control, and nonproliferation are not utopian ideals, but are important tools for restoring and protecting international peace and security. Crises like the war in Ukraine are key moments to reconsider the role we want disarmament, arms control, and nonproliferation to play in the new security architecture that emerges after a conflict. Maintaining and increasing efforts to expand disarmament and arms control regimes have the utmost priority, especially for the upcoming first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Watch the recording

The Impact of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion in the Middle East and North Africa

On May 18, 2022, Dr. Hanna Notte, Senior Research Associate at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation (VCDNP), testified to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee (Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism) on the implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine for Moscow’s interests, role, and diplomacy in the Middle East.

Dr. Notte addressed prospects for Russia’s cooperation with the United States on regional arms control and nonproliferation, as well as the Syria humanitarian and political dossiers. Dr. Notte also elaborated on regional states’ perceptions of the Ukraine war, their fears about an accelerated decline of US power in the region, and their security and commercial interests with Russia – all of which mitigate against countries taking firm positions over Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.