FEATURING: Dr. Richard T. Cupitt, Senior Fellow and Program Director, Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention, The Henry L. Stimson Center Dr. Richard T. Cupitt is Senior Fellow and Director of the Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention Program at the Stimson Center. As such he heads Stimson’s Chemical Threat Reduction project and its 1540 Assistance Support Initiative among …
Organizing Democracy, a new book by Paul Poast and Johannes Urpelainen, argues that new democracies are more likely to flourish when they receive support from international organizations to help them provide public goods to their populations. This event will present the findings of Organizing Democracy, analyze the relationships between new democracies and international organizations in …
Can International Organizations Promote Democracy? Read More »
Donald Trump’s announcement of intent to withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty constitutes another severe blow to a treaty-based system of nuclear arms and threat reduction. One last treaty governing formal, verifiable draw-downs of nuclear forces remains — the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Mr. Trump has vacillated wildly in his comments on the …
Our Uncertain Nuclear Future: How Do We Proceed if Treaties are Trashed? Read More »
What: Join The Stimson Center for a unique insight into a private collection of North Korean propaganda posters over the span of 50 years from 1963 to 2013 depicting North Korean domestic initiatives. The reception will be complemented with remarks by Jenny Town, Stimson Research Analyst & Managing Editor of 38 North, who will share …
50 Years of Propaganda – A Glimpse into North Korean Domestic Initiatives Read More »
Click here to download the event transcript (PDF). The Indo-Pacific region, a key focus of the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda, is undergoing significant political and strategic realignments with the return to great power competition. India’s role in the region is central to these developments, both in its emerging partnerships with nations like Japan and the …
The future of Taiwan, a flourishing liberal democracy and vibrant economy, is anything but secure. China, regarding it as a renegade province, has not renounced the use of military force to resolve the standoff. Taiwan must deter China’s aggression, taking steps to convince Chinese leaders that the costs of waging war on Taiwan will outweigh …
A Question of Time: Enhancing Taiwan’s Conventional Deterrence Posture Read More »
Note: Apologies for the audio issues during the Livestream. Please download our presentation slide here or download below to get an overview of the event and discussion. Disposal of radioactive waste remains a contentious issue around the world. Many would argue that it is almost impossible to gain a social licence to operate (SLO) for the disposal of …
Gaining a Social License to Operate (SLO) for Radioactive Waste Read More »
The United States midterm elections may determine whether U.S. foreign policy changes course in 2019 or holds steady. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. foreign policy agenda has undergone some changes, rarely mentioning U.S. values and at times displaying disconnect between rhetoric and policy implementation. Particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where the Trump administration has …
A new era of US engagement in infrastructure and development opportunities the Indo-Pacific commenced on October 3, 2018 when Congress passed the BUILD Act, a bipartisan legislation which establishes the International Development Finance Corporation. The IDFC will completely overhaul the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and mobilize $60 billion to facilitate the participation of private …
Building the Indo-Pacific: ASEAN Stakeholder Forum Read More »
Join us for the Washington, D.C. book launch of Just Security in an Undergoverned World, the companion volume to the Report of the Albright-Gambari Commission “Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance.” We apply just security as a new conceptual framework for charting innovative solutions and strategies for essential global governance, including in coping with violent …
Global energy demand is surging. Handled poorly, this demand will accelerate climate change and threaten the water security, food security, and well-being of billions of people around the world. There is a real need for countries with experience handling the transition to clean and sustainable energy sources to share their expertise with developing countries. With …
The reflex of the policy community is to focus on cross-Strait relations and the Taiwan issue through the lens of U.S.-China relations. But Taiwan is not merely a security dilemma: it is a vibrant democracy of 23 million people with an outsized economic and political impact in the region. To understand Taiwan’s objectives and how …
Taiwan’s Vibrant Democracy and Its Impact on Asia and the U.S. Read More »
Stimson Center, UNA National Capital Area, and the Global Challenges Foundation (GCF) are co-hosting a public discussion on the future of global governance. The aim is to reflect on lessons learned from previous reform, innovation, and renewal efforts, to draw attention to new initiatives, and to demonstrate ways that those interested in contributing to reform …
Tweaks or Transformation? New Models and Strategies for Tackling Global Challenges Read More »
Click here to download the event transcript (PDF). Pakistan’s incoming administration faces a slew of economic challenges including a looming balance of payments crisis, the possibility of a new IMF bailout, and concerns over the financial viability of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). How are these issues likely to develop over the coming months, and what …
Pakistan’s Economic Turmoil: Strategic Challenges, Consequences, and Contingencies Read More »
Read the event transcript and summary. On September 20, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to be re-elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which will extend his term as prime minister until 2021. The United States is preparing for a mid-term election in November. What are the post-election foreign and national …
Post-Election Priorities for Japan and the United States Read More »
The Stimson Center invites you to join a public discussion on war legacy issues in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The discussion will explore progress to date in addressing the ongoing problem of unexploded ordinance and Agent Orange and explore ways that the US government and other stakeholders can be more involved. Vietnam’s Ambassador to the …
Progress and Obstacles in Addressing War Legacy Issues in Southeast Asia Read More »
Please join Stimson Center President & CEO Brian Finlay in welcoming Christopher Ford, Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), to a conversation at the Stimson Center on the topic of transforming foreign assistance into a global, agile, threat-prioritized, and responsive nonproliferation programming tool. This conversation …
A Conversation with Assistant Secretary Chris Ford Read More »
Finland, the country currently chairing the Arctic Council, proposed a high-level Arctic summit during a recent bilateral meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. While discussion of the summit and a broader suite of Arctic and environmental issues proceeded smoothly, Russian concerns and protests over a large upcoming NATO alliance exercise in Norway, in which Finland …
Russia and Arctic Governance: Cooperation in Conflict Read More »
Across the globe, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a pervasive concern. IUU fishing not only threatens the environmental security of ocean ecosystems, but has serious implications for the food, economic, and national security of the United States and many countries around the world. A panel of experts will explore the national security implications …
At the Indo-Pacific Business Forum held on July 30, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched a new era of US engagement on infrastructure and development in the Indo-Pacific. Since then the US government has pledged more than $200 million for programming in the Indo-Pacific ranging from support for local infrastructure investments, energy sector improvements, …
US Engagement on Indo-Pacific Infrastructure and Development Read More »
The Stimson Center’s Japan Program is proud to present the 6th annual Voices from Japan symposium. Honorable Tetsuro Kuroe, Special Advisor to the National Security Secretariat of Japan and former Vice-Minister of Defense, and LTG Koichi Isobe (JGSDF, ret.), former Commander of the JGSDF Eastern Army and former Vice Chief of Staff of the JSDF Joint Staff, will discuss Japan’s …
Increasingly, US and European leaders are questioning whether international organizations such as NATO are worth the costs. In this talk, Heidi Hardt, assistant professor of political science at the Univeristy of California, Irvine, argues that answering this question requires a consideration of how well the organizations perform. Hardt will discuss findings from her new book NATO’s Lessons in …
NATO in the Changing World Order: Strategic Lessons from Military Operations Read More »
Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy has garnered attention for its efforts to expand Taiwan’s ties throughout Southeast Asia, but it has also had a positive impact on the development of relations with the U.S. The policy signals Taiwan’s commitment to a moderate foreign policy. By diverting resources and attention to Southeast and South Asia, Taiwan creates …
Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy: Signaling Foreign Policy Restraint Read More »
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is the technology that underpins digital currencies such as Bitcoin – but it has far wider applications and is being used increasingly in areas such as trade finance, export controls, and nuclear safeguards. The panel will explore the key questions and considerations in the application of this technology to trade security, …
Distributed Ledger Technology and Trade Security Read More »
Please join the Stimson South Asia program for a conversation with Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, the former Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff in the Indian Ministry of Defence, who will talk about the military-industrial component of the U.S.-India partnership. Joanna Spear, Associate Professor of International Affairs at the Elliott School, and Benjamin Schwartz, …
The Military-Industrial Component of the U.S.-India Partnership Read More »
Developments in relations between major powers and nuclear-armed states in tense regions render the future of arms control, nuclear confidence-building, and U.S. leadership in the global nonproliferation regime uncertain. Please join the Stimson Center for a luncheon discussion addressing trust deficits in the global nuclear order. Our featured speaker, Heather Williams, lecturer in Defence Studies, …
The Nuclear Future: Can There Be Order Without Trust? Read More »
Whether a trade war or trade deal, U.S.-China trade disputes are guaranteed to have a spillover effect on the East Asian regional economies. The Trump administration’s recent escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods – with immediate reciprocation from Beijing – is already rippling through the global economy, but U.S. allies and partners in East Asia …
War or Deal? The Impact of Trade on the East Asian Economies Read More »
The late Alan D. Romberg, Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Stimson Center’s East Asia Program, made significant contributions toward improving our understanding of the U.S.-Taiwan, U.S.-China, and cross-Strait relations in the United States and beyond. Throughout his career spanning several decades, he tirelessly worked to raise awareness on the importance of these relationships for U.S. …
Across the Taiwan Strait: From Cooperation to Confrontation? Read More »
The conflict in Yemen is currently one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, yet is often forgotten by the international community. It is reported that close to 6,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict and almost 9,000 wounded as a result of indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes, artillery fire and rocket launches. Many civilians languish …
U.S. trade policy with the 106 Middle Income Countries (MICs) is not moving ahead and the policies of bilateralism are not being instituted. There are a number of steps to promote U.S. trade with MICs that should be undertaken urgently in order for U.S. business to be able more fully benefit from the world’s fastest …
Trade with Middle Income Countries: Making Up for Lost Time Read More »
In January 2018, China released its first ever Arctic white paper, pronouncing to the world its interests, priorities and approaches to the Arctic region. China has been keen on legitimizing and maximizing its interests and involvement in Arctic politics and development. Its most recent pronouncement of the Polar Silk Road, a major endeavor launched in …
Chinese Activities in the Arctic: The Regional Perceptions Read More »
Please join the Stimson Center for a luncheon panel on “The Nonproliferation Treaty at Fifty.” Our featured speaker will be Professor Scott Sagan, the co-author with Kenneth Waltz of The Spread of Nuclear Weapons. We have asked Sagan to reprise the debate over proliferation optimism and pessimism on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of …
The first year of the Trump administration demonstrated President Trump’s willingness to continue to rely on armed drones to conduct U.S. military and counterterrorism operations, though key questions remain about the administration’s approach to and reported revisions of U.S. drone policy. Such uncertainty has contributed to enduring questions about the legality, efficacy, and legitimacy of …
Read the event transcript and summary. After months of speculation and fast-paced developments on the Korean Peninsula, the Trump-Kim summit has been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. In the weeks preceding the summit, the U.S. and North Korea, as well as the rest of Northeast Asia, will prepare for an historic meeting that might …
As China projects greater influence overseas economically and politically, a debate has emerged about the nature and impact of China’s sharp and soft power on the rest of the world and the international system. China’s sharp and soft power campaigns appear to be a global effort, as signs of such influence are observed both …
Recent developments in Cambodia—including the dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, the closure of the independent newspaper The Cambodia Daily and radio stations linked to the opposition, and the recent resignations of the editorial staff of the Phnom Penh Post—have alarmed many outside observers. The upcoming elections in July are expected to …
Photo Credit: Nuclear Regulatory Commission via Flickr The Stimson Center and the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) will host a seminar in Washington, D.C on June 12 – 13, 2018, entitled “Back-End to the Future: The Safeguards, Security and Society of Deep Geological Repositories.” Built deep underground, taking decades to plan and many more to construct, …
Leading voices in international development will be joining the Stimson Center for a roundtable to discuss and identify opportunities, challenges, and policy recommendations for U.S. engagement with “legacy countries” – middle income countries where there are interests and opportunities to enhance strong ties with the U.S. after bilateral aid ends (or is sharply reduced). The …
RSVP HERE As China’s investment profile throughout Southeast Asia has grown, some projects have come under intense criticism and stalled amid local conflict while others have successfully moved ahead. What factors have accounted for the successes and failures of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Southeast Asia? The answers have important implications for China’s …
Chinese FDI in Southeast Asia and Local Politics Read More »
RSVP HERE Sixteen years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States does not have a fully accurate measure of how much it is spending on the fight against terrorism. Stimson’s nonpartisan study group has for the first time, provided an initial tally of total counterterrorism (CT) spending since 9/11, to examine …
RSVP HERE We have long understood that war and conflict produce poverty and hunger. Yet today, with the number of hungry people on the rise for the first time a decade, record levels of human displacement and an explosion of man-made crises, we are learning that hunger is not simply a byproduct of war, but …
Winning the Peace: The Link Between Food Insecurity and Global Instability Read More »
RSVP HERE The global nuclear order and the Non-Proliferation Treaty are undergoing stress tests. Proliferation challenges emanate from Iran and North Korea. The future of the New START Treaty and deeper cuts in strategic force levels between the United States and the Russian Federation are in doubt. Nuclear-armed states are modernizing or expanding their nuclear …
The General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, a historic milestone for advancing the United Nations’ work in the areas of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and post-conflict peacebuilding, will help set the stage for a wider agenda of renewal, innovation, and reform at the expected UN heads of state gathering in September …
Download the Event Transcript and Photos Here Watch the previously recorded livestream at the bottom of the webpage. On April 27, South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will host the first Inter-Korea summit in over a decade. After an unprecedented demonstration of collaboration at the Winter Olympics between the two Koreas, the Inter-Korea …
An Assessment of the Inter-Korea Summit: Views from South Korea, U.S. and China Read More »
RSVP HERE Global military expenditure and the international arms trade shape and are shaped by changing economic circumstances, shifting political priorities, and emerging security concerns. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) monitors trends in both world military expenditure and global arms sales to help better understand fluctuating dynamics and identify potential areas of concern. …
Dealing in Defense: Examining Trends in Global Arms Sales and World Military Expenditure Read More »
The inaugural Forum on the Arms Trade annual conference, “Taking Aim: A Closer Look at the Global Arms Trade,” is a half-day event that will take place at the Stimson Center on May 22, 2018. Join a member of Congress, current and recent government officials, investigative reporters, human rights leaders, researchers, and a former arms dealer as we …
Taking Aim: A Closer Look at the Global Arms Trade Read More »
Download the Event Audio and Photos Here Watch the previously recorded livestream at the bottom of the webpage. From North Africa and the Middle East to South Sudan, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, the past several years have witnessed a marked uptick in political violence within states, reversing the trend recorded since the end of the Cold War. In 2016 …
Download event photos, speaker bios, and event audio here. Watch the event below. Since the unprecedented phone call between President Trump and Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in December 2016, the Trump administration’s approach to Taiwan has fluctuated. The latest twist came on March 16 when President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act. This law, which …
Cross-Strait Relations Under the Trump Administration Read More »
Download the Event Audio, Speaker Bios, and Photos Here Join us for the launch of Balancing Between Nuclear Deterrence and Disarmament: Views from the Next Generation. This volume offers analyses by five scholars who examine the complex question of how Japan should balance between its short-term requirement for effective nuclear deterrence and its long-term desire for a …
Japan’s Balancing Between Nuclear Disarmament and Deterrence Read More »
Save the Date: Friday April 6, 2018 RSVP HERE Managing spent fuel is one of the most significant challenges surrounding the use of nuclear energy. Although the technical means to build repositories exist, disposal attempts have often faced strong political and societal pushback. Many states are now acknowledging the urgency of the matter and considering …
Solving the Unsolvable: Nuclear Waste Solutions for the New Millennium Read More »
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