Arms Control Wonk

Episode31 min

Deterrence in Ukraine

Russia has invaded Ukraine, and some folks are arguing that Ukraine could’ve deterred Russia “if it had never given up nuclear weapons.” But they never “had” nuclear weapons. Jeffrey and Aaron talk through the control of nuclear weapons in Ukraine…

Article

Aggressive War, Redux

Note to readers: For those who enjoy reading diplomatic history in general, and the diplomacy of nuclear arms control in particular, check out my magnum opus/door stop, Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control. Quotes…

Episode24 min

Nuclear Security for Who?

Jasmine Owens, Lead Organizer and Policy Coordinator at the Physicians for Social Responsibility, joins Jeffrey to discuss social justice and nuclear weapons. Jasmine and Jeffrey attack the tough issues facing culture within the nuclear security field, embedded bias, and the…

Article

Arms Control, Interrupted

Note to readers: For those who want to dive deeper into this history, check out my magnum opus/door stop, Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control.  Quote of the week: “Arms control is…

Episode28 min

Networked Nonproliferation with Michal Onderco

Dr. Michal Onderco, Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, joins Jeffrey to talk about his new book, Networked Nonproliferation: Making the NPT Permanent.  Dr. Onderco and Jeffrey talk about…

Article

Time For Another Big Re-Think

Quotes of the week: “I am still making order out of chaos by reinvention.” — John le Carre “Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?” — John Barrymore Arms control was conceived by a…

Article

The First Debate Over Downwinders

Verse of the week: “Waves of anger and fearCirculate over the brightAnd darkened lands of the earth” – W.H. Auden, “Another Time” A total of 528 nuclear tests were carried out in the atmosphere. The United States conducted 215; the…

Episode24 min

Gimme Shelter

After North Korea tested its new MaRV twice, a bunch of weird news stories suddenly started breaking about U.S. responses. Flights were grounded in parts of the West Coast, there was a shelter in place order up at the missile…

Article

Ukraine and the Future of Arms Control

Verse of the week: “I’d like to tell you not to worry. Reality has a way of sorting itself out,/ but panic is infectious. The scare arrives when you’re doing/ jumping jacks or organizing the cutlery. Some moment of low/…

Article

Contingency Planning

Quote of the week: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower The most fundamental norm – the one we depend upon to prevent massive and sudden crimes against…