Research Network on Rethinking Nuclear Deterrence: Preliminary Findings from Two Years of Research

The meeting is from 1:00-4:00pm Central Time/ 2:00-5:00pm Eastern Time. Registration available here: https://macfound.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrf-6pqj4jE9Il1WBOFZbi0Xlxh2Y8uJm6#/registration

The Research Network on Rethinking Nuclear Deterrence was established to explore the evolving complexities of nuclear deterrence in the 21st century. Traditional notions of deterrence now face urgent challenges from shifting power dynamics, emerging technologies, and regional instabilities. Additionally, broader forces—such as environmental and social justice movements—are increasingly questioning the viability of the deterrence framework, advocating for alternative security paradigms that prioritize sustainable and equitable approaches.

Over the past two years, our network—comprising 15 research centers and over 80 scholars—has critically examined these challenges, aiming to provide fresh insights into the meaning, resilience, and future of nuclear deterrence and the prospects for arms control and nuclear disarmament. The network has also delved into how ethical considerations and international humanitarian law could act as meaningful constraints on nuclear deterrence.

Our upcoming meeting will introduce a diverse audience to the preliminary findings of this extensive research. Key issues to be presented include factors that could escalate a conventional crisis to the nuclear threshold, conditions for dangerous entanglement, ethical considerations surrounding nuclear deterrence, requirements for meaningful arms control in an increasingly multipolar world, and new perspectives on nuclear disarmament and security without nuclear weapons.