Member Publications

Lessons from South Korea and Britain

Over the past decade, the question of how to prevent nuclear proliferation in both the Middle East and East Asia has gained significant urgency. Apparently in part due to Iran’s progress towards acquiring a nuclear weapons breakout capability and North Korea’s acquisition of rudimentary nuclear weapons, several U.S. allies and friendly states appear to be at least opening the door to potential future pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Scholars and practitioners argue that transparency will play an important role in “cultivating confidence” on the “road to zero.” But, the conceptual definitions and implied meanings of transparency vary among the many disciplines and communities involved in the study and practice of international security. Moreover, there is little to no consensus on the origins, mechanics, or dynamics of this phenomenon.

Disagreement between China and the United States regarding ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems has lasted for more than a decade. Up to now, we did not see any sign of solving this problem in near future. This memo will discuss how to solve this dilemma. Specifically, this article will discuss the technical and political impacts of U.S. BMD on China’s nuclear deterrence, and work out hypothetical solutions.

Trust Is Imperative for U.S.-China Cooperation on Nuclear Security Issues

It is generally recognized that the U.S. and China share significant common interests in cooperating on issues of nuclear nonproliferation and arms control. The robustness of nuclear deterrence determines that quality and quantity of nuclear weapons no longer dominate the calculations around nuclear policy as long as a nuclear retaliatory capability can be maintained. Nuclear primacy is hardly a viable or even a desirable goal to pursue.

Scholars and practitioners argue that transparency will play an important role in “cultivating confidence” on the “road to zero.” But, the conceptual definitions and implied meanings of transparency vary among the many disciplines and communities involved in the study and practice of international security. Moreover, there is little to no consensus on the origins, mechanics, or dynamics of this phenomenon. 

Last month marked the fiftieth anniversary of the most significant crisis of the nuclear age: the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. detection of Soviet nuclear forces on the island of Cuba in October 1962 precipitated a tense thirteen day standoff between the two superpowers. The Soviets ultimately agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba in exchange for U.S. promises (1) not to invade the island and (2) remove nuclear-tipped Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Yet why did the Soviets place nuclear missiles in Cuba in the first place?

Deterrence Theory and Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons in Russia

This memo illuminates how various factions of the Russian strategic community perceive non strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW), their role in national security, their potential use, and their modernization paths. The study offers an alternative and novel argument about the notion of Russian regional nuclear deterrence, and puts forth practical and theoretical implications.

Contours of South Asian Nuclear Order

The paper seeks to examine some important drivers that determine the emerging South Asian Nuclear order.  South Asia’s nuclear order is easily the most dynamic one in the contemporary world. It is also widely considered to be the most dangerous and volatile nuclear order. India and Pakistan officially declared their nuclear status in 1998 although they are supposed to have crossed the nuclear threshold by developing what analyst has called recessed deterrents in the late 1980s.

China’s Approach to Address Nuclear Crisis on Korea Peninsula

My paper aims to explore how China has trying to reconcile its key objectives and major national interests on the Peninsula which have to some extent strained its strategic options as well as China’s relations with major stakeholders in North East Asia region.

Though China-Pakistan relations have been viewed by both countries as ‘all weather, time-tested’ strategic cooperative partner all along, there are comparative few studies relating to this bilateral relation in the research field of Chinese foreign affairs in China. Considering the extraordinary importance of Pakistan in the integral structure of China’s foreign relations, this kind of phenomenon in the academy of China is quite abnormal. The year 2011 marked the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.