NukeTalk

Revisit Press the Button LIVE: Nuclear Policy in Crisis with us — this time with Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher and Mallory Stewart, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance. Stewart discusses the Nuclear Posture Review, New START, China's nuclear arsenal, and many other issues. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett speaks with Jessica Sleight,...

Hear more from Ploughshares Fund's annual policy conference, Press the Button LIVE: Nuclear Policy in Crisis! This week, listen to Ploughshares Fund Executive Director Elizabeth Warner talk with The Chair of the Elders and Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. She discusses disarmament strategy, the Iran Nuclear Deal, and words of wisdom for the next generation of advocates.

Join us for a recap of Press the Button LIVE: Nuclear Policy in Crisis! Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher sits down with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss a range of topics: safeguarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, combating misinformation, and the complexity of reaffirming the Iran Nuclear Deal.

The last remaining US-Russia arms control treaty, New START, is set to expire in 2026. This week, Tom Collina talks with Jessica Rogers, impact fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. She discusses the importance of New START, what happens if we fail to replace it, and how we can save arms control. On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks with John Carl Baker, Nuclear Field Coordinator and Senio...

This week, Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher talks with Tom Wright, senior director for strategy at the National Security Council. He discusses the Biden Administration's National Security Strategy, Ukraine's impact on the strategy, and the strategy it outlines towards Russia and China On Early Warning, Tom Collina speaks with Monica Montgomery from Council for a Livable World. She discusse...

Big news: Biden's long-awaited Nuclear Posture Review is finally out! This week, Tom Collina talks with Jessica Sleight and Jon Wolfsthal from Global Zero. They review Biden's nuclear weapons policy, and discuss where it fell short and how it can be improved. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett sits down with Scott Roecker, Vice President of the Nuclear Material Security Program at the Nuclear Threat...

This week, Tom Collina speaks with Gregory Kulacki from the Union of Concerned Scientists on US-China relations. Topics include: China's Party Congress, the effects of the war in Ukraine on US-China relations, and the new US National Security Strategy. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks with Donna Farvard, national organizing director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). She discuss...

Amid Putin's nuclear saber-rattling, what exactly makes a nuclear weapon "tactical" — and is that even the right word to use? This week, Tom Collina talks with Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. He corrects the many misperceptions of "tactical" nuclear weapons and discusses how Russia could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. On Early...

Sixty years ago this month, the US and Soviet Union came close to the brink of nuclear war during a tense 13-day stand-off known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. So how did we get that close? How did we successfully de-escalate? Tom Collina discusses this historical event with Dr. Tom Vaughan, lecturer at Aberystwyth University and author of "Nuclear war: does it take luck or reasoning to avoid it? Le...

NASA hits a bullseye: this week, Tom Collina sits down with Dr. Laura Grego, senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She discusses NASA's recent (and successful) DART mission to hit an asteroid in space and the implications for nuclear policy. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett talks with Istra Fuhrmann and Alex Toma of The Peace and Security Funders Group. They join the podcast to di...

The war in Ukraine takes another left turn as Russian President Vladimir Putin makes more explicit nuclear threats: this week, Tom Collina sits down with Jon Wolfsthal, senior advisor at Global Zero and author of the sub-stack newsletter BoomBoomBoom . They discuss Putin's nuclear threats, the fine line the Biden Administration has to walk, and how to avoid further escalation. On Early Warning, Al...

The war in Ukraine may be entering a decisive new phase. On this episode, Tom Collina speaks with Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss Ukraine's recent counter-offensive, how Russia might respond, and whether the tide of the war has turned. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet sits down with Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative and a non-resident...

On the Morning You Wake Part 2: Press the Button re-visits the new virtual reality experience exploring Hawai'i's 2018 false nuclear alarm. This time, Tom Collina talks with Cynthia Lazaroff, founder and director of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy, and Ray Acheson, director of Disarmament at the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. On Early Warning, Alex Hall sits down with Co...

Take a look inside Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant: Tom Collina talks with Dr. Cindy Vestergaard, senior fellow and director of the Nuclear Safeguards program at the Stimpon Center. She discusses the UN Inspector's visit to the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine and why it matters. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett speaks with Dr. Angela Stent, a senior non-resident fellow at...

After four weeks, the NPT Review Conference concluded without consensus, with Russia blocking approval for the final document. Tom Collina sits down with Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova from the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation to discuss what this setback to RevCon means for the future of the NPT and arms control. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet speaks with Dr. Alan Robock, climate scien...

In early August, the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents, some of which may be related to nuclear weapons. So what kind of nuclear information could Trump have taken? Tom Collina sits down with Alex Wellerstein, author of Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States. He discusses the FBI's recent search, what nuclear information may be involved, an...

Nuclear risk — what is it and how is it assessed? Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher discusses these questions with Dr. Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security program at Chatham House. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet is joined by Shannon Bugos, senior policy analyst at the Arms Control Association. She discusses Russia's decision to suspend inspections under New Start and...

On this week's episode, we honor the late Stimson Center co-founder Michael Krepon with an archived interview, featuring Lorely Umayam and former Ploughshares Fund Program Director Michelle Dover. They discuss the evolution of the nuclear policy field and how the practitioners should respond in the face of challenges. On Early Warning, Alex Hall is joined by Dr. Luis Rodriguez, Stanton Nuclear Sec...

In 2018, a false missile alert threw Hawaii into mass panic. Four years later, the lived experiences and voices of people on that day can be explored through the new immersive virtual reality documentary, On the Morning You Wake. Tom Collina sits down with Mike Brett, Emmy-award winning director and co-creator of On the Morning You Wake, to discuss the making of the documentary and its importance....

What do the nuclear policy field and the reproductive justice movement have in common? Lauren Billet talks about this topic with Yasmeen Silva, organizer, activist, and national field manager at Population Connection. She also touches on the dynamics between gender & power and how these dynamics manifest within the nuclear policy field. On Early Warning, Tom Collina sits down with Alex Wellerstein...

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...

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...

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...

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 poli...

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 Ameri...