NukeTalk

The fistbump seen ‘round the world: Tom Collina discusses Biden’s recent trip to the Middle East with Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Parsi covers the purpose of Biden’s trip and what it means for US diplomacy efforts. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett sits down with Dr. Cheryl Harrison, assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Lousiana State University and lead researcher of a new paper that investigates the impact of nuclear weapons on the climate.

A shift in NATO strategy? Tom Collina sits down with Max Bergmann, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He recaps the recent NATO summit in Madrid, and discusses how the war in Ukraine will affect its strategy and the alliance’s relationship with the US.

On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks with Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. She discusses the last round of indirect talks to return to the Iran nuclear deal held in Doha, and prospects for what comes next. 

On this week’s episode, take a listen to Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher’s conversation with Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Hill discusses the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s nuclear threats.

On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks with Emma Claire Foley, Senior Associate for Research & Policy at Global Zero. She discusses her new report on the real cost of ICBMs and discusses pathways for moving beyond these dangerous weapons.

On this week’s episode, take a listen to Tom Collina’s Action Now panel that aired at this year’s Chain Reaction gala. This panel features Jamal Abdi from NIAC, Istra Furhmann from FCNL, and Sara Haghdoosti from Win Without War. Topics include: the Iran nuclear deal, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and the war in Ukraine.

On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks to Alicia Sanders-Zakre, the policy and research coordinator at ICAN. She discusses the events in Vienna last week surround the first meeting of state parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, including the ICAN Ban Forum.

Can the Iran Deal be saved? Tom Collina is joined by Negar Mortazavi, Iranian-American journalist and host of the Iran podcast. She discusses the stalled negotiations to revive the Iran Deal and whether progress is possible.

On Early Warning, Lauren Billet sits down with Hans Kristensen, associate senior fellow at SIPRI and the director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists. He discusses his new report on the world’s nuclear arsenal and what we should take away from his findings.

Nuclear policy work in the time of COVID: Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher sits down with Lovely Umayam, a nuclear nonproliferation expert, writer, and founder of Bombshelltoe Policy and Arts Collective, and Elisa Reverman, PhD candidate at Georgetown University and occasional illustrator. They discuss their project, Lifelines, a collection of personal reflections about the experiences of nuclear policymakers and technical practitioners during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Early Warning, Tom Collina talks with Sahil Shah, policy fellow at the European Leadership Network. He discusses the IAEA’s criticism of Iran for failing to cooperate with an investigation into its nuclear activities and the country’s response.

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual victory day speech, with many looking to see if it would give any hints to his approach towards Ukraine. Emma Belcher sits down to discuss this speech with Tom Nichols, contributing writer at the Atlantic and author of its newsletter, “Peacefield”. He also discusses Putin’s nuclear threats and the lessons of the Ukraine conflict for nuclear policy.

On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks with Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. She discusses the leaked IAEA report that indicates that Iran has amassed enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon for the first time.

A May 23rd press conference in Japan marks the third time President Biden has stated that he would defend Taiwan militarily, breaking long-standing US policy. While these statements have always been walked back by Biden’s staff, it begs the question: what really is Biden’s Taiwan policy? Tom Collina discusses this topic with James Lee, postdoctoral research associate at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks with Erin Rosenberg, lawyer and visiting scholar at the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She discusses the recent convictions of Russian soldiers who pled guilty for war crimes in Ukraine.

Finland and Sweden appear to be on their way to NATO membership, causing vocal opposition from Turkey and a more muted response from Russia. Tom Collina talks with Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations and professor at Georgetown University. He discusses NATO expansion, the war in Ukraine, and what it all means for the future of diplomacy with Russia.

On Early Warning, Hale Fellow Angela Kellett sits down with Nastaran Far, former Win Without War policy & advocacy fellow. She discusses her podcast miniseries “Calling Others” which features stories from Southwest Asian and North African American creatives and advocates.

Why hasn’t the US rejoined the Iran Deal? Ploughshares President Emma Belcher sits down with Peter Beinart, Professor at the City University of New York. He discusses his latest op-ed in the New York Times, where he criticizes the Biden Administration for its hesitancy to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.

On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks with Melissa Hanham, an affiliate of the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation. She discusses the reports that North Korea may be gearing up to conduct nuclear tests in the coming weeks.