Commentaries

Commentary

Gender as a flashpoint: Risks and resolutions for the NPT review process

Disagreements over gender issues in the NPT review process have become increasingly contentious, and there is a real possibility that they could derail the next Review Conference. To avoid an impasse in the consensus-based NPT review process, Sanaa Alvira and Shizuka Kuramitsu urge States parties to proactively engage through coalition-building and inclusive consultations led by NPT Chairs to address these challenges.

2 July 2024 | Sanaa Alvira and Shizuka Kuramitsu

NPT Global Security Multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation Gender NPT NPTProject Nuclear Arms Control Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear Security Nuclear Weapons

Commentary

How to bolster nuclear-weapon-free zones

Nuclear-weapon-free zones can help strengthen global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament norms and are a key element underpinning the NPT. Despite this, new zones in Europe, the Middle East, and North-East Asia have not materialised so far. Tarja Cronberg writes that legally based negative security guarantees and other innovative approaches are needed.

1 July 2024 | Tarja Cronberg

NPT Global Security Multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation NPT NPTProject Nuclear Arms Control Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear Security Nuclear Weapons

Commentary

The Women Leaders Podcast: It’s the economy, stupid – and sanctions

Ilana Bet-El, Senior Associate Fellow at the European Leadership Network, speaks with Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) member and Senior Policy Fellow for Geoeconomics at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Agathe Demarais, for a discussion on sanctions and the economic dimensions of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

28 June 2024 | Ilana Bet-El, Florence Ferrando and Agathe Demarais

Defence Diplomacy Eastern Europe Economy Energy EU Europe Foreign policy International Law Podcasts Russia Russia-West Relations Sanctions Ukraine

Commentary

10 at 10: 10 lessons learned as the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification turns 10

The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in Geneva this week. This milestone comes with some notable outcomes and achievements. Looking back on past IPNDV activities and looking ahead to its future ones, Dr Irmgard Niemeyer outlines 10 lessons learned over the years.

28 June 2024 | Dr Irmgard Niemeyer

NPT Global Security Multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation NPT NPTProject Nuclear Arms Control Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear Weapons

Commentary

The fast and the deadly: When Artificial Intelligence meets Weapons of Mass Destruction

Ahead of the German Federal Foreign Office’s Artificial Intelligence and Weapons of Mass Destruction Conference 2024, the ELN’s Policy and Research Director, Oliver Meier, argues that governments should build guardrails around the integration of AI in the WMD sphere, and slow down the incorporation of AI into research, development, production, and planning for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.

27 June 2024 | Oliver Meier

EDTs Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction Arms Control Biosecurity Emerging technologies International Law Nuclear Arms Control Nuclear Security Nuclear Weapons Risk Reduction WMDs

Commentary

How would humans react to nuclear catastrophe?

Most analyses of the effects of nuclear war focus on the impacts in terms of casualties and climate shocks. But there would be many second-order and third-order effects on political, social, and economic systems. Sir Adam Thomson and Paul Ingram write that it is imperative to avoid a nuclear war. If all such efforts fail, we need to understand what it would mean for global civilisation and what we could start to do to prepare.

19 June 2024 | Adam Thomson and Paul Ingram

NPT Global Security Multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear Security Nuclear Weapons Risk Reduction Security

Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – Biological threats: Going viral

Listen to the fourth episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore biological existential and global catastrophic risks. Featuring an introduction to the topic and an exploration of some of the technological mitigation techniques we have available for biological risks, a panel discussion exploring the current state of the international governance of biological risks, and we will also delve into whether humanity’s recent brush with COVID-19 has better or worse prepared us for future pandemics, be they man-made or natural.

17 June 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Jasper Götting, Angela Kane, Anemone Franz, Dr Emil Nafis Iftekhar and Bekki Field

EDTs Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction Biosecurity Defence Diplomacy Disinformation Emerging technologies Governance International Law NEVER Podcasts Security WMDs

Commentary

The Women Leaders Podcast: Normalised nationalism in Europe

Ilana Bet-El, Senior Associate Fellow at the European Leadership Network (ELN) speaks with European politics and populism expert, Catherine Fieschi, on the repercussions of this years European parliamentary elections, and what the rise of the far-right means for European politics.

14 June 2024 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando

Democracy EU Europe France Podcasts