ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode of NatSec EmTech, Professor Laura K. Donohue speaks with Professor David Jonas, a leading expert on nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and international treaty law about the evolution of the global nuclear order and the growing challenges it faces today. He explains the original purpose of nuclear arms control treaties following World War II, the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in monitoring nuclear programs.
Prior to his civilian service, David Jonas was a career Marine Corps officer where he held a wide variety of command and staff billets. He served as nuclear nonproliferation planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff negotiating multiple international agreements and has worked extensively with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Conference on Disarmament, and the United Nations.
We delve into the implications of states like India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea existing outside the traditional NPT framework, and the legal complexities surrounding treaties such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Also exploring today's increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape, examining the expiration of New START, the collapse of meaningful arms control negotiations, the lessons of the Budapest Memorandum and the war in Ukraine, and the risks posed by renewed great-power competition with Russia and China.
And finally we ask, what keeps a leading nuclear nonproliferation expert up at night?
