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ELN publications feature authoritative research, high-quality analysis, diverse viewpoints and practical recommendations to address current foreign, defence, and security policy challenges.

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96 items
Page 5 of 11
Commentary

How opposing views on nuclear deterrence fracture the non-proliferation regime

Competing perceptions of nuclear deterrence are no longer peripheral disagreements within the NPT and are now driving deep divisions within the regime, threatening its very stability. ELN Policy Fellow Jana Baldus urges states to bridge this divide by recognising differing security perspectives and addressing concerns on all sides. Nuclear-armed states must clarify the rationale behind deterrence and confront double standards, while non-nuclear states should engage with the wider security consequences of rejecting deterrence and consider Russia’s and China’s strategies as well as those of the West.

20 August 2025 | Jana Baldus
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectArms ControlDeterrenceInternational LawNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk Reduction
Report

Global nuclear fail-safe: Meeting summaries and related documents

Fail-safe reviews aim to strengthen safeguards to prevent the unauthorised, inadvertent, or mistaken use of a nuclear weapon. In collaboration with NTI, EASLG, and APLN, the ELN has been working to highlight the benefits of independent, internal “fail-safe” reviews in nuclear-armed states. These summaries are from ELN and APLN nuclear fail-safe workshops with non-governmental partners in China, India, Pakistan, France, and the UK.

13 August 2025
FailsafeEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionNuclear SecurityNuclear Weapons
Commentary

Moving beyond condemnation: European nuclear diplomacy in Africa in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Many in Europe have felt frustrated by many African states’ equivocal posture on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Daniel Ajudeonu of the YGLN writes that African neutrality on the Ukraine war reflects economic realities, notably Russia’s growing role in African nuclear energy development. He argues Europe’s influence will remain limited unless it offers competitive, transparent, and development-oriented nuclear partnerships. Strategic cooperation in financing, technology transfer, and human capital could foster African alignment with European security priorities.

12 August 2025 | Daniel Ajudeonu
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectChinaDiplomacyEconomyEnergyEuropeForeign policyNPTNPTProjectRussiaRussia-West Relations
Commentary

Play to prevent: How wargames can map AI-nuclear dangers

The integration of AI into nuclear command and control seems all but inevitable. While there are benefits, there are also considerable risks. Experimental wargaming—realistic simulations with controlled variables—offers a powerful tool for investigating how AI could affect nuclear decision-making. Peter Rautenbach suggests three paths forward for how policymakers can use wargaming to generate quality data around AI and nuclear risks.

1 August 2025 | Peter Rautenbach
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionEmerging technologiesNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk Reduction
Commentary

The non-proliferation outlook after the 12-day war: Moving beyond damage control

The possible fallout from the recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities requires sustainable approaches to nuclear non-proliferation that go beyond ad hoc solutions, writes Almuntaser Albalawi. Any new diplomatic solution should be embedded within a broader, long-term strategy that includes steps toward a regional arms control framework in the Middle East, addressing the underlying drivers of proliferation. The international community should continue supporting initiatives that sustain dialogue and strengthen regional partnerships.

23 July 2025 | Almuntaser Albalawi
IranIranIranIsraelJCPOAMiddle EastNPTNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsWMDs
Commentary

The militarisation of non-proliferation: Will the NPT survive?

The impact of the Israel-US military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June will not only be felt in the Middle East. ELN senior network member Tarja Cronberg writes that these strikes also endanger the future of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The 2026 NPT Review Conference should concentrate on preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and should focus on its commitment to a Middle East WMD-Free Zone before it’s too late.

11 July 2025 | Tarja Cronberg
IranNPTIranMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectIranIsraelJCPOANPTNPTProjectNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsWMDs
Commentary

Containing the non-proliferation damage from Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme

The threat to global non-proliferation norms resulting from Israel’s attack on Iran is putting Europe’s commitment to multilateralism and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to a real test. ELN Policy & Research Director Oliver Meier writes that those countries still believing in multilateralism can bring their political, economic, and military clout to protect and strengthen the global non-proliferation regime. They must come down from the fence from which they have been observing the conflict and engage on the side of diplomacy and international law.

18 June 2025 | Oliver Meier
NPTNPT ProjectIranIsraelJCPOAMiddle EastNPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear Weapons
Commentary

Leaving the Landmine Ban Treaty puts civilians at risk

This week, Finland looks set to vote a final time on withdrawing from the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, and Poland may soon follow. Mary Wareham and Laura Lodenius write that this is a catastrophic step backwards for the protection of civilians, and these states should reconsider. Withdrawing from long-standing legal and humanitarian norms threatens to erode fundamental tenets of international humanitarian and human rights law and will only increase the likelihood of harming civilians.

16 June 2025 | Mary Wareham and Laura Lodenius
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlConventional Arms ControlFinlandInternational LawPoland
Commentary

Israel-Iran conflict: War amid talks

On Thursday night, Israel launched massive strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear programme and military leaders. This came two days before the US and Iran were supposed to resume direct talks on finding a diplomatic agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. Jane Kinninmont writes that while the short-term repercussions are highly uncertain, there may be more certainty about the long-term ones: this is hugely undermining to nuclear diplomacy and non-proliferation in general.

13 June 2025 | Jane Kinninmont
IranIranIranIsraelJCPOANPTNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear Weapons