To better understand emerging technologies, NEVER members Konrad, Anemone, Emil, Arthur, and Joel outline the evolution of the risk landscape around emerging disruptive technologies and draw parallels between the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and those posed by novel biotechnologies. They explore the broader challenge of governing emerging technologies and suggest potential ways forward.
Listen to the first episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore the basics of man-made existential risk, featuring an introduction to the topic, its relationship to great power competition, how governments have dealt with potential existential risks such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how they should respond to them in future.
The massive escalation of violence in the Middle East has major ramifications for Europe, which has a long history of involvement in the defunct Middle East Peace Process. Jane Kinninmont writes that the long-term answer must be that both peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, need to live in the same small area under some political configuration that works for both of them. Here she explores what medium-term political pathway could lead there and how European governments can show leadership.
The Humanitarian Initiative’s successful shift to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has spotlighted deficiencies in the operational methods and practices of the NPT Review Process. Konstantin Larionov assesses specific aspects of the UNGA’s proceedings that could enhance the performance of NPT meetings. He argues that expanding the roles and functions of the UNGA is crucial for advancing non-proliferation and disarmament commitments, which have faced decades-long obstacles within the NPT.
In our latest commentary from the ELN’s New European Voices on Existential Risk (NEVER) network, Shane Ward and Eva Siegmann, explore how the emergence of non-nuclear strategic threats (NNST) has undermined the normative taboo surrounding the use of nuclear weapons, and why new methods extending beyond deterrence are needed to ensure international stability.
Mark Hibbs writes that while the conflict between Hamas and Israel has complicated the situation, the rationale behind the US push for Israeli-Saudi normalisation and continued US-Saudi nuclear negotiations remain strong. The Hamas attack is a reminder of the potential for disruption that a nuclear-armed Iran could have on the region.
Neither Russian peacekeepers nor EU mediation have prevented Azerbaijan from violently retaking Nagorno-Karabakh. The ELN’s Policy & Impact Director Jane Kinninmont analyses the geopolitical realignments underlying the offensive which has caused tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee, and suggests means to avoid further conflict in the South Caucasus.
Noah Mayhew, Senior Research Associate at the Vienna Centre for Peace and Disarmament, reflects on how the political debate around the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) partnership is evolving at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and offers insights on potential productive steps forward.
From the 26th-29th of June, the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) met in Vienna for their annual gathering. Over the course of the week, YGLN members met with various international organisations and diplomatic missions, fostered insightful discussions, and were able to network and collaborate with one another. Read the commentary for a full account of the annual gathering.