Promoting Dialogue on Arms Control and Disarmament
Promoting Dialogue on Arms Control and Disarmament seeks to identify a range of measures to enhance strategic stability among the major nuclear powers and to avoid costly arms races. Through a series of Track-2 meetings among U.S., Russian, and Chinese experts and former policymakers, the project aims to provide recommendations that will address multipolar strategic stability and reduce the risk of nuclear weapons being used.
The Future of Nuclear Arms Control and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War
Unlike the Cold War, the current nuclear age is characterized by a simultaneous collapse of arms control agreements and the absence of any strategic dialogue among the three main nuclear players. These trends have significant and worrisome consequences for the stability and security of the global nuclear order. But as demonstrated throughout the Cold War years, the creation of working group platforms for creative brainstorming on areas of common ground is an essential step to reduce tensions, minimize the potential risks of nuclear escalation and arms racing, and promote a more cooperative international environment. Beginning in 2018, the Academy partnered with The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs to convene a series of meetings to explore areas of cooperation in nuclear arms control.
One strand of the current project’s work consists of a series of Track-2 dialogues between experts and former policymakers from the U.S., Russia, and China, designed to highlight critical goals in arms control. Project meetings seek to:
Identify immediate priorities and overlapping interests to manage the strategic competition between the U.S., Russia, and China.
Promote conceptual thinking of measures to strengthen strategic stability and reduce the significant dangers of nuclear weapons being used in the future.
Produce a range of recommendations that can contribute to rebuilding trust and predictability among the rival Great Powers.
A second strand of work builds on the Academy’s experience organizing educational sessions for the United States Congress on a range of issues. Through a series of engagements with Members of Congress and their staffs, the project will:
Deepen knowledge in Congress on key issues and challenges facing the United States in nuclear arms control and international security.
Develop recommendations for policymakers for avoiding the dangers of a world without nuclear constraints.
A third strand of work weaves the project’s expert discussions and policy recommendations together to produce high-impact publications on critical debates within nuclear arms control.
