Assessing Global Nuclear Stability Roundtable
The 2009 ISA Midwest conference will be held in St. Louis, November 6-8, 2009. Send
proposals to tclark@creighton.edu by August 31.
This year’s ISA Midwest conference will feature a roundtable reviewing a project
assessing global nuclear stability. The project produced by the United States Strategic
Command's Global Innovation and Strategy Center (GISC) reviewed tools and
methodologies for assessing global nuclear stability in a multipolar world. As America
prepares to review its defense and nuclear posture, the Department of Defense
customer told GISC leaders it is more vital than ever to understand how both friends
and potential adversaries look at the acquisition, proliferation and use of nuclear
weapons. A team of senior policy and analytical experts engaged in two workshops held
in February and April 2009 to identify and define relevant nuclear stability indicators in
the diplomatic, information, military, economic, and other realms existing within nationstates. A resulting set of tools and methodologies now exists for assessing how both
America's friends and competitors view nuclear stability. The project has been briefed
and has already been called a significant step in building the nation's understanding of
how friends and potential adversaries look at nuclear weapons.
Following a presentation of the project, Paul Diehl, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University, and Mary Habeck, SAIS, The Johns
Hopkins University will offer observations.