NukeTalk

Nuclear policy work in the time of COVID: Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher sits down with Lovely Umayam, a nuclear nonproliferation expert, writer, and founder of Bombshelltoe Policy and Arts Collective, and Elisa Reverman, PhD candidate at Georgetown University and occasional illustrator. They discuss their project, Lifelines, a collection of personal reflections about the experiences...

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual victory day speech, with many looking to see if it would give any hints to his approach towards Ukraine. Emma Belcher sits down to discuss this speech with Tom Nichols, contributing writer at the Atlantic and author of its newsletter, "Peacefield". He also discusses Putin's nuclear threats and the lessons of the Ukraine conflict for nuclea...

A May 23rd press conference in Japan marks the third time President Biden has stated that he would defend Taiwan militarily, breaking long-standing US policy. While these statements have always been walked back by Biden's staff, it begs the question: what really is Biden's Taiwan policy? Tom Collina discusses this topic with James Lee, postdoctoral research associate at the University of Californi...

Finland and Sweden appear to be on their way to NATO membership, causing vocal opposition from Turkey and a more muted response from Russia. Tom Collina talks with Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations and professor at Georgetown University. He discusses NATO expansion, the war in Ukraine, and what it all means for the future of diplomacy with Russia. On Early Warning...

Why hasn't the US rejoined the Iran Deal? Ploughshares President Emma Belcher sits down with Peter Beinart, Professor at the City University of New York. He discusses his latest op-ed in the New York Times, where he criticizes the Biden Administration for its hesitancy to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks with Melissa Hanham, an affiliate of the Stanford Center fo...

This week, Ploughshares Fund's Hale Fellow Angela Kellett sits down with Shalonda Spencer, Executive Director of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS). In honor of Mother's Day, she discusses the burden that is often imposed by nuclear weapons and security issues on women and children. On Early Warning, Tom Collina is joined by Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy...

Delfin Vigil interviews Deann Borshay Liem, Emmy-Award winning film producer & director of Crossings. She discusses her new documentary that follows a group of women peacemakers across the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. On Early Warning, Tom Collina sits down with Gregory Kulacki, China Project Manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He talks about China's nuclear program,...

Is the war in Ukraine changing public attitudes and perceptions about nuclear weapons? Tom Collina explores this topic with Dr. Lauren Sukin, MacArthur nuclear security postdoctoral fellow at Standford University Center for International Security and Cooperation, and Dr. Alexander Lanoszka, assistant professor in the department of political science at the Balsillie School for International Affairs...

On March 9, 2022, India launched a cruise missile into Pakistan by mistake. Tom Collina discusses this incident with Matt Korda, senior research associate and project manager for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. On Early Warning, Alex Hall is joined by Monica Montgomery, advocacy coordinator at the Council for a Livable World and Research Analyst at the Cen...

How are our nuclear weapons choices decided? Who gets a say in making the knowledge that is used to justify these choices? Emma Belcher discusses these questions with Dr. Benoit Pelopidas, founding director of the Nuclear Knowledges program at Sciences Po (CERI) in Paris. On Early Warning, Alex Hall sits down with Dr. Bridget Conley, research director at the World Peace Foundation. She discusses h...

It's a curtain call for co-host Michelle Dover. On her last Press the Button episode, Dover is joined by Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher and fellow co-host Tom Collina. They quiz Dover on her favorite moments on the podcast and her personal journey in the nuclear policy field. On Early Warning, co-host Tom Collina is joined by Emma Claire Foley, senior associate for research and policy at...

On this week's episode, Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher sits down with Dr. Maria Rost Rublee, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Monash University. She discusses the myths and misconceptions of Ukraine's nuclear weapons history & what we can learn from this now. On Early Warning, Michelle Dover is joined by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, visiting fellow at the Europe...

Don't look up but do tune into this week's special bonus episode: Delfin Vigil sits down with David Sirota, Academy Award nominee and co-writer of the Netflix sci-fi comedy Don't Look Up. He discusses the inspiration behind the movie and the reasoning behind interspersing references to nuclear war throughout the film.

What does security mean to you? How does gender intersect and affect our perception of security? Co-host Michelle Dover speaks with Dr. Alexi Drew, senior analyst at Rand Europe and Anuradha Damale, policy fellow at BASIC, on these topics.   On Early Warning, co-host Tom Collina is joined by Sara Haghdoosti, executive director of Win Without War. She brings the latest updates on the Iran Deal and...

The conflict in Ukraine has turned into a massive humanitarian crisis. Co-host Michelle Dover is joined by Negar Tayyar, co-founder and director of Global Whole Being Fund, a global grant making body dedicated to supporting people on the move. She discusses the international response to the crisis and how listeners can help. On Early Warning, co-host Tom Collina is joined by Dr. Sanam Vakil, Deput...

Deciphering Putin's nuclear threats: co-host Tom Collina sits down with Jon Wolfsthal, former senior director at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, and current senior advisor at Global Zero and member of the Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He discusses what Putin's heightened nuclear alert means and the risks involved. On Early Warning, Alex Hall is join...

What's happening in Ukraine? This question is explored and answered in this very special episode hosted by Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher. She is joined by Dr. Kristin Ven Bruusgaard, assistant professor and postdoctoral fellow of political science at the University of Oslo and a member of the Oslo nuclear project.

On this week's episode, co-hosts Tom Collina and Michelle Dover discuss the latest updates and news on Ukraine in an extended introduction that focuses on whether there is a rising nuclear threat that is emerging from the war. Tom Collina also sits down with Jasmine Owens and Mari Faines from Physicians for Social Responsibility. They discuss their work for the Demand Access campaign, which focuse...

Get updated on Ukraine: co-host Tom Collina is joined by Kimberly St. Julian Varnon, who navigates the evolving situation of the Ukraine-Russia border crisis. She is a PhD student in history at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a master's in Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian studies from Harvard University. On Early Warning, Alex Hall sits down with Raeghn Draper, activist & part...

Inside Kazakhstan's nuclear history: on this week's episode, co-host Michelle Dover sits down with Togzhan Kassenova, senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research, SUNY-Albany, and a non-resident fellow at the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She discusses her newly released book, "Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave up the Bomb". On Early Warning, co-hos...

On this week's episode, co-host Michelle Dover sits down with Michael Krepon, co-founder and a senior fellow at the Stimson Center. They discuss his latest book, "Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: the rise, demise, and revival of arms control" which offers a comprehensive look at arms control. On Early Warning, co-host Tom Collina sits down with Anatol Lieven, a senior research fellow on Russi...

Where does the Catholic Church stand on nuclear weapons? Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe joins co-host Tom Collina to discuss the Church's historical advocacy of nuclear disarmament and his new pastoral letter urging the global abolition of such weapons. On Early Warning, co-host Michelle Dover sits down with Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher for The Nation, who is also...

President Biden has now been in office for one year; Matt Duss, Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders, joined co-host Tom Collina to reflect on Biden's foreign policy decisions over the course of this year. Topics include: US military policy and withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Early Warning, Tom Collina takes double duty as co-host and sits down with Sharon Squassoni, co-chair of the Sc...

It's the first anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to celebrate, co-host Michelle Dover sits down with Ambassador Elayne Whyte, former Costa Rican representative to the UN in Geneva, where she presided over the 2017 conference that negotiated and adopted the TPNW. On this special episode, she reflects on the treaty and discusses the path forward.

This week, Emma Belcher sits down with Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Director of the Oslo Nuclear Project. She discusses efforts to roll back nuclear programs in Iraq & Iran, and US-centric biases when it comes to nuclear weapons policy. On Early Warning, Michelle Dover is joined by Melissa Hanham, an affiliate of Stanford Center for International Security & Cooperation. Hanham discusses recent North...