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Nuclear Proliferation in US Grand Strategy

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Featuring
James M. Acton
James Acton

Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Eric Brewer
Eric Brewer

Deputy Vice President, Nuclear Threat Initiative

Astrid Chevreuil
Astrid Chevreuil

Visiting Fellow, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, CSIS

Jennifer Lind
Jennifer Lind

Associate Professor of Government, Dartmouth College

Austin Long
Austin Long

Senior Nuclear Fellow, Center for Nuclear Security Policy, MIT

Richard Nephew
Richard Nephew

Research Scholar, SIPA, Columbia University

Robert Peters
Robert Peters

Assistant Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for National Security, Heritage Foundation

Mallory Stewart
Mallory Stewart

Chief Executive Officer, Council on Strategic Risks

Jon Wolfsthal
Jon Wolfsthal

Fellow for Nuclear Policy, PAX sapiens

Since the 1960s, the US government has devoted considerable resources to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to both its adversaries and its partners. This ambitious goal exerts an important—sometimes decisive—influence on US decisions about its alliance network, its global military posture, the size and configuration of its nuclear forces, and whether to send US soldiers to wage preventive war. US policies have helped limit the number of nuclear-armed countries to nine, but growing proliferation incentives and strains on American grand strategy may eventually force US policymakers to reconsider anti-proliferation maximalism. Please join us for a day-long conference with leading experts on the carrots and sticks of US policy and whether they will remain effective at acceptable cost to Americans.

Schedule

10:00 - 10:05 AM

Welcoming Remarks

10:05 - 11:05 AM

Panel 1: Adversary Proliferation

What should US policy toward adversary proliferation be? Are preventive strikes effective, or should the US lean more on diplomacy? How will the US war against Iran affect the incentives for countries to proliferate?

James Acton, Co-Director, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Robert Peters, Assistant Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for National Security, Heritage Foundation
Richard Nephew, Research Scholar, SIPA, Columbia University
Moderated by Justin Logan, Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute

11:20 AM - 12:20 PM

Panel 2: Friendly Proliferation

Worsening international security conditions and doubts about the reliability of US guarantees are fueling sustained debate in some allied capitals over whether to develop independent deterrents. Should the US position on friendly proliferation evolve? Will it? What would be the consequences of friendly countries getting nuclear weapons?

Astrid Chevreuil, Visiting Fellow, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, CSIS (attending by Zoom)
Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor of Government, Dartmouth College (attending by Zoom)
Eric Brewer, Deputy Vice President, Nuclear Threat Initiative
Moderated by Evan Sankey, Policy Analyst, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute

12:20 - 1:05 PM

Lunch

1:05 - 2:05 PM

Panel 3: US Nuclear Forces

How do US non- and counter-proliferation policies interact with its nuclear force planning? How many and what types of nuclear weapons does the United States need? And how much should US taxpayers be willing to pay for modernization and potential growth of the US nuclear forces?

Austin Long, Senior Nuclear Fellow, Center for Nuclear Security Policy, MIT
Jon Wolfsthal, Fellow for Nuclear Policy, PAX sapiens
Mallory Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Council on Strategic Risks
Moderated by Benjamin Giltner, Policy Analyst, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute

2:05 - 3:05 PM

Reception

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