6 Dec 2024
Hans Blix: The arms control Einstein who turned 96 this year
A consensus-builder who believes nuclear weapons are never in safe hands, no matter who holds them.
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5 Nov 2024
What’s new in Russia’s latest nuclear statement?
Vladimir Putin has rattled his sabre once again in the face of US and NATO deliberations on Ukraine’s use of weapons. -
30 Sep 2024
China's missile tests New Zealand's principles
There are three reasons why China’s missile test is a serious challenge to New Zealand’s interests. -
29 Aug 2024
US shifts nuclear focus to counter China’s growing arsenal
Beijing’s nuclear modernisation means its intentions and commitments to non-proliferation will continue to be questioned. -
5 Aug 2024
Thinking the “unthinkable” again?
Security motivations alone rarely explain decisions to “go nuclear”. Australia’s history on the question is complex. -
1 Jul 2024
South Korea’s nuclear ambition holds a place in the national consciousness
It might seem illogical to the rest of the world, but a sense of vulnerability has a pervasive pull on policy. -
19 Jun 2024
Nuclear subs, nuclear power … could nuclear weapons be next?
The Australian public has shown a willingness to go along with what was once unthinkable. -
28 Mar 2024
North Korea’s new threat: “Core central striking means”
Technological advancement is making nuclear disarmament goals even more difficult. -
19 Mar 2024
A big leap in the credibility of India’s nuclear weapons capability
A successful test of India's ICBM with multiple warheads comes after an immense investment. -
4 Mar 2024
Why is Putin again threatening a nuclear war?
And just as importantly, is the West willing to call his bluff? -
27 Feb 2024
By the numbers: China’s nuclear inventory continues to grow
Power, prestige and shifting estimates of what makes for a credible minimum deterrent help explain a growing arsenal – but more lies behind the move, too. -
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16 Jan 2024
AI’s Oppenheimer moment: Establishing regulations
Nuclear arms control is only one area that needs to catch up in the AI age. -
5 Dec 2023
Indonesia ratifies nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia should too.
Why does the government remain at odds with the vast majority of its neighbours? -
3 Nov 2023
Australian leadership in Indo‑Pacific nuclear diplomacy
With growing state capabilities in the region, “guardrails” are more important than ever. Canberra can help. -
2 Oct 2023
French criticism of nuclear ban treaty highlights Canberra’s dilemma
Can Australia rebuild a strategic military partnership with France at the same time as independence movements claim Pacific support? -
7 Aug 2023
For America’s atomic bomb legacy, the past is present
The fallout of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – as well as nuclear testing in the Pacific – continues to hang over the US regional reputation. -
27 Jul 2023
Nuclear weapons: “Oppenheimer” won’t make a difference, but Australia can
The movie missed a chance to galvanise a renewed campaign, to better protect against existential danger than rely on sheer dumb luck. -
11 Jul 2023
Existential risk is a whole-of-society challenge
From climate change and pandemics to nuclear war and extinction by AI, collective action will be imperative. -
24 May 2023
North Korea/South Korea: Who’s threatening who?
The prospect of using nuclear weapons to coerce behaviour has limits. -
27 Apr 2023
Will US reassurance be enough to halt South Korea’s nuclear ambition?
Seoul has won extra support from Washington, but not for the goal of global disarmament. -
18 Jan 2023
“If the problem becomes more serious”: South Korea talks going nuclear
The high stakes on Korean Peninsula have quickly become even more acute in 2023. -
22 Dec 2022
The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections. -
12 Dec 2022
North Korea’s “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” goes ballistic
Does the appearance of Kim Jong-un’s “beloved” middle child signal more than just succession planning? -
7 Dec 2022
All in the family: North Korea’s means of nuclear survivability
Kim Jong-un’s daughter reveal might be about keeping a trusted finger on the nuclear button more than succession plans. -
22 Nov 2022
India’s military: a tech leap risks a nuclear chasm
India’s conventional military modernisation means grappling with the accelerated danger of nuclear miscalculation. -
11 Nov 2022
North Korea: unpredictably predictable
The rationale behind Pyongyang’s provocative missile launches may not be as menacing as it appears. -
4 Nov 2022
Solutions to the North Korea issue no longer include denuclearisation
A minimalist approach based on arms control, risk reduction and deterrence is what’s needed right now on the Peninsula. -
27 Oct 2022
The remote Marshall Islands complicate US Pacific policy
A sand-rimmed paradise with a long nuclear history has a surprising amount of clout in the Washington vs Beijing game. -
12 Oct 2022
If Russia breaks the nuclear taboo
Would the use of a lower yield atomic weapon really prompt the same catastrophic logic of escalation? -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
25 Jul 2022
Australia and the Nuclear Ban Treaty
If disarmament is to be truly realistic, the world needs to change the conversation about nuclear weapons. -
27 Jun 2022
Patiently waiting for North Korea’s next nuclear test
Any countdown could depend on what Beijing is willing to tolerate. -
4 May 2022
For North Korea, military parades come before the people’s wellbeing
There is no mask over the regime’s true intentions. -
17 Mar 2022
Washington rediscovers “nuclear responsibility” in the Ukraine crisis
Australian scholar Hedley Bull saw special obligations for great powers to avoid the worst possible catastrophe. -
22 Feb 2022
Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy
In an atomic world, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. -
15 Dec 2021
Crisis stability as a priority in US-China relations
Arms control with China will look very different from arms control with Russia. -
3 Nov 2021
It’s time to talk about existential risk
There will be no chance to review the “lessons learned”. -
1 Oct 2021
An arms control stocktake
Assessing the challenges ahead for the family of treaties governing nuclear weapons. -
16 Sep 2021
North Korea’s calculated restraint
Pyongyang is giving Washington a taste of its own “strategic patience” medicine. -
6 Sep 2021
Japan’s nuclear identity and the complicated endgame
The legacy of a complex nuclear history weighs heavily on a country torn between deterrence and disarmament. -
19 Aug 2021
China’s new silos: Nuclear arms control more urgent than ever
News of huge missile silo fields shows dumb luck is no basis for managing a risk of nuclear catastrophe. -
12 Feb 2021
Scottish independence and the implications for British defence
Breaking away from the UK would bring up some thorny issues – like what to do with nukes. -
21 Jan 2021
A “No-First-Use” doctrine would undermine American nuclear deterrence
And Australia should make clear to the Biden administration any such commitment is not in the interests of allies. -
20 Jan 2021
Iran nuclear deal: Revenge of the diplomats
Re-negotiations with Tehran will be a fascinating guide to how a Biden administration deals with Middle East challenges. -
21 Dec 2020
A missile spotter’s guide to North Korea (and beyond)
Everything happens for a reason. And that reason is normally physics or finance. -
2 Nov 2020
Nuclear Ban Treaty: Wishful thinking over realism
Lacking enforcement mechanisms or a practical path to elimination, the treaty has little chance of being effective. -
27 Oct 2020
Where will Australia stand on banning weapons of mass destruction?
The issue can no longer be dodged. Nuclear weapons will become illegal under the rules-based order of international law. -
5 Aug 2020
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Existing nuclear arms control deals are dead or dying, but that should not be an excuse to give up disarmament hopes. -
17 Jul 2020
The kind of test the world doesn’t need
Even if merely talk, speculation about the US resuming nuclear weapons tests could needlessly spark bigger problems.