Finding a New Balance
Between Arms Control and Deterrence

at the margin of

the 19th Annual NATO Conference on Arms Control, Disarmament

and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Non-Proliferation

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4 October 2024 (Friday)
09:00-10:30
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Arms control and deterrence have long been elements of the NATO approach to improving Allied security and building a stable international order. Yet, the arms control architecture has eroded in recent years and faces ever more challenges. Russia has violated, abrogated, or selectively implemented arms control arrangements while conducting increasingly aggressive policy, ultimately launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine under the cover of nuclear threats. Moreover, old and new weapon types and technologies are proliferating among various actors, with the development of hypersonic weapons and China’s build-up of nuclear forces being among the key examples.

The panel will discuss the prospects and options for arms control and its relationship to deterrence in NATO policy. The panelists will explore in particular how arms control can complement deterrence in a deteriorating security environment and whether stronger deterrence can facilitate achieving new arms control arrangements in the future.

Speakers:

William Alberque, Visiting Fellow, The Henry L. Stimson Center
Tytti Erästö, Senior Researcher in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Łukasz Kulesa, Director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Emmanuelle Maitre, Research Fellow, Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS)

Moderator: Artur Kacprzyk, Analyst in the International Security Programme, The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)

The event will be held in English and livestreamed via YouTube.