Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament

Can we please have a real debate on nuclear submarines?
Can we please have a real debate on nuclear submarines?
So it’s to be full speed ahead with nuclear-propelled submarines then? This is a momentous policy decision, but it looks like it will be taken with no real debate, despite the…
Australia and the Nuclear Ban Treaty
Australia and the Nuclear Ban Treaty
The first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) took place in Vienna from 21 to 23 June. The new Australian government sent an …
Ukraine war triggers debate on Japan’s nuclear option
Ukraine war triggers debate on Japan’s nuclear option
In the wake of the Ukraine conflict, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister and now head of the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has suggested that…
Keeping Australian uranium out of Russian hands – and bombs
Keeping Australian uranium out of Russian hands – and bombs
“If you’ve looked on the TV into Vladimir Putin’s eyes – he is one tough son of a gun and I don’t think that he cares about what we think.” Such was the verdict by one Australian…
Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy
Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy
Almost four years ago, I argued in The Interpreter that Vladimir Putin’s decision to pursue a range of weapons specifically designed to defeat America’s Ballistic Missile Defence …
An AUKUS surprise – Best of The Interpreter 2021
An AUKUS surprise – Best of The Interpreter 2021
The buzz about an impending big announcement started the night before. But when the leaders from Australia, the United Kingdom and United States stood in a virtual press…
The Director’s Chair: Penny Wong on politics, China, and the job of Foreign Minister
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Penny Wong on politics, China, and the job of Foreign Minister
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with Senator Penny Wong, the Shadow Foreign Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
Arms control is not just about arms
Arms control is not just about arms
Relations between Russian and the United States have been rocky since the 2014 Crimean crisis. Washington imposed various sanctions on the Kremlin in the aftermath of the…
Japan’s nuclear identity and the complicated endgame
Japan’s nuclear identity and the complicated endgame
Book Review: Akimoto Daisuke, Japan’s Nuclear Identity and its Implications for Nuclear Abolition (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) It has been rare in recent years for the…
The trouble with Washington’s ‘Rules-Based Order’ gambit
Commentary
The trouble with Washington’s ‘Rules-Based Order’ gambit
Improved U.S. compliance with international norms would greatly enhance U.S. defense of the rules-based international order. Originally published in The Diplomat.