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Oliver Meier

Policy & Research Director

Oliver Meier is the Policy & Research Director at the ELN. Prior to this, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH). Previously, he was Deputy Head in the International Security Division of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).  He holds a PhD in political science from the Free University of Berlin and his expertise includes control of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation, Iran’s nuclear program, and European security.

From 2005 to 2013, Dr. Meier was the International Correspondent and Representative of the Arms Control Association and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.

He previously served on the staff of Uta Zapf, then a member of the Bundestag’s Foreign Relations Committee and Chairwoman of the Sub-Committee on Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.  Prior to working in the Bundestag, he was a fellow at the Center for Arms Control and International Security at Stanford University.

Content by Oliver Meier

Commentary

Be careful what you wish for: Russia wants to share nuclear weapons with Belarus

The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would increase nuclear risks and undermine key nonproliferation norms, but it would not alter the strategic balance in Europe. For Russia, sharing nuclear weapons with Belarus might well backfire politically. NATO countries should therefore resist the impulse to up the nuclear ante.

6 April 2023 | Katia Glod and Oliver Meier
Commentary

Network reflections: Xi’s visit to Moscow

After President XI’s visit to Moscow, we asked our network members for their thoughts on what this means for the war in Ukraine and global politics more broadly. Is China ramping up its support for Russia or acting as a calming influence on a potential future junior partner? Read the piece to see our members’ contributions in full.