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CNS News & Views:
February 2018
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New Online Course Teaches How to Wield "New Tools" Like a Pro
In partnership with a professional courseware developer, CNS launched a new online course aimed at teaching nonproliferation professionals and students how to use "new tools"-- such as satellite imagery analysis, geographic information systems, 3D modeling, virtual reality simulation, and more-- like the top researchers and analysts at CNS.
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(L-R): Leonard S. Spector, Chen Kane, Ali Ahmad |
An Increasingly Nuclear Middle East
On Tuesday, February 6, CNS hosted a roundtable discussion examining the economic and security factors surrounding the rise of nuclear power in the Middle East. It featured a presentation by Dr. Ali Ahmad, director of the Energy Policy and Security Program at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and a member of CNS's
Middle East Next Generation of Arms Control Specialists (MENACS). Dr. Chen Kane, director of the CNS Middle East Nonproliferation Program, moderated the event.
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Bill Potter and Masako Toki |
Celebrating 15 Years of Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education
In the latest edition of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs's Occasional Paper series, experts from around the world commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the
UN Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education, which was presented to the UN General Assembly in 2002. The publication showcases fresh perspectives and new ideas and innovations in disarmament and nonproliferation education, and includes a foreword by former Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.
CNS Director Bill Potter and Program Manager Masako Toki each contributed a chapter to this special issue, "Revisiting disarmament and nonproliferation education" and "Bringing disarmament and nonproliferation education to young generations: Case study of high school students," respectively.
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To North Korea, Trump's Military Parade Will Look Like Fear, Not Strength
In a new op/ed published in the
Washington Post, East Asia Program Director Jeffrey Lewis argues that, contrary to what Trump believes, a military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will not be viewed as a sign of American confidence, but rather fear.
"The North Koreans," he advises, "are fond of saying a 'frightened dog barks loudest.'... A massive demonstration of military might, especially if it includes some aspect of the nation's nuclear deterrent, is only going to convince Kim Jong Un and others that the United States sees its power flagging and is frightened."
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Credit: Shutterstock.com |
Biosecurity in Putin's Russia
In March 2012, at a meeting convened by the recently re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin, Minister of Defense Serdyukov informed Mr. Putin that a plan was being prepared for "the development of weapons based on new physical principles: radiation, geophysical wave, genetic, psychophysical, etc." Subsequently, in response to concerns expressed both in Russia and abroad, the Russian government deleted the statement from the public transcript of the meeting. But the question remains: Is Russia developing an offensive biological warfare program?
Program Director Raymond Zilinskas and Philippe Mauger investigate the multiple dimensions of this crucial security issue in their new book from Lynne Rienner publishers. Ranging from the Soviet legacy to current doctrine, from advanced weapons-development networks to civilian biotechnology research, from diplomatic initiatives to disinformation campaigns, they document and analyze the build-up and modernization of Russia's biodefense establishment under the Putin administration.
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Upcoming Deadlines and Events
For more information, contact Scientist-in-Residence
George Moore.
And in Vienna, the
VCDNP will be hosting a public panel discussion on Friday, March 23, on the 2018 Preparatory Committee meeting of states parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, featuring remarks by the chair of the conference,
Ambassador Adam Bugajski. To register, contact
Mara Pfneisl.
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