Middlebury Institute of International Studies
December 2020
Russia and the Ongoing Challenges to the CWC
The poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, which Germany referred to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), signals further challenges for the chemical weapons nonproliferation regime.

As states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) gathered for Part I of its 25th annual conference last month (Part II to come in 2021), Senior Non-Resident Scholar Hanna Nötte discussed the various allegations, disagreements, politics, and proposals facing CWC states parties, particularly those related to Syria and the Navalny case.
IAEA 1383rd Board of Governors Meeting courtesy Dean Calma IAEA
What's in a Name? Understanding a Contentious Safeguards Concept
What is the IAEA’s “broader conclusion” and how did this term come into being? What is the difference between the State-Level Concept (SLC) and a state-level approach? What are “state-specific factors” and how are they utilized?

In the first Occasional Paper from the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-proliferation, Research Associate Noah Mayhew tells the story of this controversial approach to nuclear safeguards: how the SLC came into being and how its lexical evolution gave rise to the controversy that would embroil meetings of the IAEA states parties.

Intensive Course on WMD Nonproliferation and Security for Women in STEM in Africa
CNS, in partnership with the African Centre for Science and International Security, or AFRICSIS, (Accra, Ghana), will offer an intensive online course on “WMD Nonproliferation and Security for Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)” for university professors, researchers, practitioners, government officials, and other female professionals in Africa.

The course will be held in the online format from January 25—February 5, 2021, in three-hour installments on Mondays–Fridays). Funding for this tuition-free course is being provided by the Norwegian Government, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Beyond "The Deal"
For the newest issue of Middlebury Magazine, CNS Communications Director Rhianna Tyson Kreger sat down (virtually) with Professor Jeffrey Lewis, host of the podcast, "The Deal," the story of the Iran nuclear deal.

Lewis shares why he wanted to tell the story of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which stories were left on the cutting room floor, and what it means for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation writ large.

If you haven't yet listened to "The Deal," it's not too late to learn what this ambitious nonproliferation agreement has in common with Lisa Simpson, Jane's Addiction, and a nerdy baby onesie. You can stream all five episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

Catch up now before Season 2 drops in 2021!
Nikolai Kobrinets US Russia dialogue
Shared Priorities and Prospects for Nuclear Engagement
On December 7, 2020, CNS and the Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) convened a virtual dialogue on US-Russian cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation and arms control.

The keynote speakers for this event were Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov and Chair of the Arms Control Association Tom Countryman, and Dr. Elena Chernenko of the Russian newspaper Kommersant moderated the discussion.

Winners of the 2020 Tom and Sarah Pattison Award
Congratulations to Eurasia Program Director Sarah Bidgood and Research Associate Noah Mayhew for receiving the 2020 Tom and Sarah Pattison Award!

The annual employee prize is awarded to two CNS staff members each December in recognition of outstanding service to CNS. All CNS staff are invited to nominate their colleagues, with the finalists determined by a committee vote. Although many nominations were put forward this year, the committee members quickly came to a consensus on this year's winners, whose tenacious efforts were particularly appreciated during such a challenging year as this.

"On behalf of the award committee," said CNS Deputy Director Jessica Varnum, "we are deeply grateful to Tom and Sarah Pattison for providing this employee recognition award, and to all of the staff who not only ensured that we have survived 2020, but indeed truly thrived."

James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

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