Senior Network Member and President-Designate of the First Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Alexander Kmentt speaks to the ELN ahead of the Vienna meeting
As nuclear weapons make headlines once more, the images and narratives that pervade focus on fear and panic leading to paralysing doom and political stasis. For sustained engagement and real-world change, Elizabeth Talerman and Shazeeda Bhola from The Nucleus Group write that a fundamental shift is required in how the nuclear conversation is framed — invoking hope instead of fear and identifying solutions and shared ambitions.
The Co-Conveners of the EASLG warn that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine elevates nuclear risks dramatically. The first and most essential step toward reducing the risks of a consequential accident, mistake, or miscalculation is a ceasefire to end the unacceptable and unjustifiable loss of human lives.
As nuclear deterrence receives renewed attention, Ward Wilson reconsiders what we know about nuclear deterrence, examines what we don’t know, and thinks about what work still needs to be done. Wilson argues that greater emphasis needs to be put on psychology and neuroscience, examining past failures more closely, and comparing criminal deterrence and nuclear deterrence.
The AUKUS deal has generated a broad debate over its possible non-proliferation implications, with much discourse focusing on Iran. Ludovica Castelli writes that we should not measure the impact of AUKUS simply by whether other would-be proliferators exploit the precedent it has set but by the bigger questions it raises about the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.
Rapid technological change and a return to nuclear great-power competition suggest that the contours and central dynamics of our nuclear world are in flux. Andrew Futter writes that this shift requires a frank debate about the role of UK nuclear weapons and where they fit in the future of UK security policy.