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Policy brief

Guarding the unthinkable: Why regular fail-safe reviews are essential for responsible nuclear stewardship

In times of eroding arms control measures, nuclear-weapons states should consider enhancing transparency around their nuclear safety, security and reliability mechanisms (‘fail-safe’) to strengthen the risk reduction agenda. This policy brief, by ELN Senior Policy Fellow Julia Berghofer, shows how France and the UK can advance fail-safe individually and bilaterally, as well as in the P3 and P5 contexts. Non-nuclear-weapon states parties to the NPT and members of NATO could also support this.

2 October 2025 | Julia Berghofer
FailsafeEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionFranceNPTNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionUnited KingdomELN
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 WeaponsAPLNELN
Report

How to save the world: Influencing policy on the biggest risks to humanity

A new report published from the European Leadership Network’s New European Voices on Existential Risk (NEVER) project calls for a systemic international approach to be taken to address man-made existential risk. The risks from nuclear weapons, climate change, biological threats, and AI are interconnected and cross-cutting lessons should be drawn.

4 March 2025 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Nicolò Miotto, Arthur Duforest, Ezgi Yazicioglu, Jieqiong Duan, Rebecca Donaldson, Valeriia Hesse, Jasper Götting and Emil Nafis Iftekhar
EDTsEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionArms ControlBiosecurityClimate changeCyberDefenceDemocracyDiplomacyDisinformationEmerging technologiesEuropeGovernanceHybrid warfareNEVERNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionWMDsNEVER
Commentary

The unintended consequences of deterring cyber attacks through nuclear weapons and international law

Using nuclear deterrence to prevent cyber attacks presents not only ethical and strategic challenges but also significant legal concerns. International law imposes strict limits on the use of force, making a nuclear response to cyber attacks highly questionable. Attribution remains difficult, escalation risks are high, and proportionality concerns persist. YGLN member Verena Jackson writes that a more effective approach would focus on strengthening international norms, improving attribution mechanisms, and—above all—prioritising cyber resilience over expanding nuclear deterrence.

6 February 2025 | Verena Jackson
JRCTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationCyberDefenceDeterrenceEmerging technologiesGovernanceHybrid warfareMilitary DoctrineNuclear Arms ControlNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionRussia-West RelationsSecurityWMDsYGLN
Commentary

Deterrence without destruction: Rethinking responses to biological threats

Scientific advances have renewed a discussion around the possibility of potentially devastating biological attacks. Eva Siegmann writes that nuclear deterrence is inadequate to deter biological threats. Instead, the threat of biological weapons should be addressed via international efforts rooted in transparency and cooperation. Leveraging the mechanisms of the Biological Weapons Convention and implementing deterrence-by-denial strategies can effectively mitigate risks.

28 November 2024 | Eva Siegmann
EDTsJRCTEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionBiosecurityConventional Arms ControlDefenceDeterrenceEmerging technologiesGovernanceHybrid warfareInternational LawNEVERNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionWMDsNEVER
Commentary

Nuclear vs cyber deterrence: why the UK should invest more in its cyber capabilities and less in nuclear deterrence

The threats the UK faces today are more nuanced and diverse than in the Cold War era, ranging from state-sponsored cyber-attacks to sophisticated disinformation campaigns. ELN Policy Fellow Nikita Gryazin argues that these challenges require a shift in focus from traditional nuclear deterrence to modern defensive and offensive cyber capabilities.

23 September 2024 | Nikita Gryazin
EDTsJRCTEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionCyberDeterrenceNuclear WeaponsSecurityUnited KingdomELN