... reminding his fellow countrymen that the world is still full of threats and that, despite the commitment to nuclear disarmament (someday, like other powers), it was vital to “keep the powder dry.” The President reiterated the promise to not use nuclear weapons against those countries that had signed and honoured the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to Hollande, the French Strategic Nuclear Forces contribute to the pan-European security, yet remain ‘sovereign:’ Paris will ...
New weapons can have both stabilizing and destabilizing effects
Development of new technologies and weaponization of those is a feature of human history. Today we face new threats, but new weapons can have both stabilizing and destabilizing effects. Hypersonic missiles is one of the most popular topics, but the quality of the debate can and must be improved.
Why all the ‘hyperhype’?
Over the last few years, there has been quite an effort to educate the public about the hypersonic weapons. Some...
The European Leadership Network Report
The
European Leadership Network
Report
The UK and Russia hold pivotal roles within the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime and share a common interest in its preservation and longevity. This report offers a set of recommendations on how the UK and Russia could display leadership, create opportunities, and positively shape the 2020 Review Conference and advance the NPT agenda beyond RevCon.
The recommendations in this report are the result of the European Leadership...
... stability and flexibility to its regional (not strategic!) nuclear deterrence. The idea is that the number of such missiles will be limited, because they are intended for fairly specific purposes.
The U.S. military had long sought permission for low-yield nuclear weapons from the White House,
arguing
that the president was only limited to high-yield weapons as a last resort and that “interim” response options would come handy in certain scenarios. These were eventually termed “tailored” nuclear ...
... is now also a Swiss citizen. List of publications at
GCSP website
.
How do you assess the threat of nuclear terrorism? What forms of nuclear terrorism would you highlight?
Marc Finaud
Nuclear terrorism, defined as the detonation of one or several nuclear weapons by a terrorist or a terrorist group, is generally considered as a low-probability but high-impact risk. However, the use by terrorists of a radiological dispersal device (or “dirty bomb” - as if nuclear ones were “clean”) to spread ...
The best possible next step for European countries would be to try to reach out, formally or informally, to Russia to clarify the technical parameters of the proposed moratorium
The Russian moratorium proposal
On 2
nd
February 2019, when the United States announced that it intended to withdraw from the INF Treaty on 2
nd
August, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a
meeting
with ministers Shoigu and Lavrov to discuss the possible weapons that might be developed in response, and
framed a ‘formula’...
... respect to prolong the Treaty, but this is no guarantee in the current situation.
As regards weapons systems threatening strategic stability, what do you think is their hierarchy now? How significant is the effect of anti-missile systems, long-range non-nuclear weapons, anti-satellite weapons?
Regarding anti-missile defence, its effect is certainly greater than it was 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. The Treaty was concluded in 1972, nearly 50 years ago. It remained in force for 30 years, and anti-missile systems ...
... better. The problem with the New START Treaty is that it limits just Russia and the U.S., though Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine are technically included as they inherited some of the Soviet arsenals. In the past, the Russian government said that other (nuclear weapons states) should participate in these treaties.
The New START Treaty, like its earlier versions, focuses on long-range nuclear arm missiles and bombers. A new type of strategic arms control treaty could limit additional types of weapons,...
... Russia and the United Kingdom discussed possible forms of dialog between Russia and the United Kingdom on nuclear issues in the group of nuclear powers in the context of the 2020 NPT Conference.
Dmitry Stefanovich, RIAC Expert, an independent expert in nuclear weapons and non-proliferation, spoke at a seminar session and presented RIAC research and analytical materials on nuclear issues. Based on the results of the workshop, in early 2020 a report with recommendations for the ministries and departments ...
The possibility that decisions about the use of nuclear weapons will be influenced by information and communication technologies (ICTs) is the most serious threat that exists today.
Strategic stability is once again becoming a primary concern in international relations. The topic has received a great ...
