China’s nuclear journey began during the Cold War, when Mao Zedong’s leadership saw nuclear weapons as essential to protecting China’s sovereignty. Initially relying on assistance from the Soviet Union, China quickly accelerated its nuclear programme, conducting its first nuclear test in 1964. In this episode of The Arms Control Poseur, host Dr Alexander Bollfrass is joined by leading nuclear policy experts Dr Jingdong Yuan, Dr Tong Zhao and Dr Fiona Cunningham to discuss China’s recent ambitious expansions of its nuclear capabilities. This shift is monitored globally and poses the question why China is moving away from its traditional nuclear posture and what it means for global security?

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Since the Cold War, France has charted an independent course in nuclear policy, without relying on external security guarantees. But what makes France’s nuclear strategy different from that of the United States, United Kingdom or Russia? And how does it fit into the European security architecture today? In this episode of The Arms Control Poseur, host Dr Alexander Bollfrass is joined by leading nuclear policy experts Héloïse Fayet, Emmanuelle Maitre and Dr Liviu Horovitz to discuss France’s nuclear programme that began in the shadows of World War II, as French leaders, including Charles de Gaulle, sought to ensure that the country would never again be left vulnerable to invasion or external political pressure. Unlike the UK, which fully integrated its nuclear programme with the United States, France pursued a self-sufficient approach, developing its own warheads, missiles and delivery systems.

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How has the nuclear weapons programme of the United Kingdom evolved from its origins during World War II to its strategic choices during the Cold War? With the current international order in disarray, the United Kingdom has maintained its nuclear arsenal for over 70 years, but its nuclear warheads, missiles, and delivery systems are deeply intertwined with American technology and supply chains. In this episode of The Arms Control Poseur, host Dr Alexander Bollfrass is joined by Dr Marion Messmer, Dr Daniel Salisbury and Sebastian Brixey-Williams, leading experts on British nuclear policy, arms control and international security. Together, they provide a deep dive into the history, challenges, and the future of the UK’s nuclear weapons programme, from its World War II origins to the challenges of the Cold War and today’s geopolitical uncertainties.

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In this episode of The Arms Control Poseur, host Dr Alexander Bollfrass is joined by nuclear experts Lydia Wachs and Andrey Baklitskiy to explore the historical and current trajectory of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. How has the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics’ nuclear policy evolved into Russia’s current arsenal? How have arms control treaties shaped nuclear stability – or failed to do so? And how can future arms control look like amidst growing global tensions? Dr Alexander Bollfrass and his guests discuss the origins of the Soviet nuclear programme, from the point of Stalin’s push to match US capabilities after the end of World War II to the rapid development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Examining the era of the Cold War, the episode provides a deep-dive into the US-Soviet arms race, resulting in arms control treaties like SALT, the INF Treaty and START.

Dr Alexander Bollfrass is Head of Strategy, Technology and Arms Control, focusing on preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and related delivery systems, as well as risk reduction and arms control.

Andrey Baklitskiy is a Senior Researcher in the WMD Programme at UNIDIR. His current research focuses on nuclear risk reduction and nuclear arms control. He holds a specialist diploma (MA equivalent) from the Ural Federal University.

Lydia Wachs is a PhD Candidate in International Relations at Stockholm University. Her PhD research focuses on the Soviet Union's/Russia's role in the global nuclear order, in particular its nuclear nonproliferation policy.

‘The Arms Control Poseur’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to The Arms Control Poseur on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of recording: 30 January 2025 and 31 January 2025

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What successes and failures of arms control have shaped the US nuclear strategy over time? In the first episode of season 4 of the Arms Control Poseur podcast, host Dr Alexander Bollfrass welcomes experts Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Amy Woolf and Dr Rebecca Gibbons to explore the Cold War Arms race, deterrence strategies and what the future might hold for US nuclear policy. Together, they discuss the impact of historical arms control treaties, US-Russia treaty compliance as well as growing challenges posed by emerging threats.

Dr Alexander Bollfrass is Head of Strategy, Technology and Arms Control of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, focusing on preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and related delivery systems, as well as risk reduction and arms control.

Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins is an American diplomat who served as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security in the Biden Administration. During the Obama administration, she was the US Department of State's coordinator for threat reduction programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.

Amy Woolf is a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. She is also a former Specialist in Nuclear Weapons Policy at the Library of Congress.

Dr Rebecca Davis Gibbons is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Maine. She previously served as a Fellow and Associate of the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs after receiving her PhD from Georgetown University in 2016.

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In the seventh episode of season 3, podcast host Fabian Hinz is joined by David Albright, founder and President of the Institute for Science and International Security to discuss Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Find out more: https://go.iiss.org/4g7jiP1

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In the sixth episode of the Arms Control Poseur, host Fabian Hinz discusses with guest Jim Lamson, Senior Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the complex developments of Iran's missile programme.

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