Seventy years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and forty-five years after the entry into force of the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), nuclear weapons continue to pose a serious threat to global security. The aim of this Winter Course is to analyse some of the key issues which concern the presence and spread of nuclear weapons in the current international system, and thereby advance awareness and understanding on such critical and topical problems. The Course will cover issues including the perspectives on global and regional security, the 2015 NPT Review Conference, European security, South Asia, Iran and Israel’s nuclear programmes, Russia-US relations, the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, nuclear security, advanced conventional weapons and the future of deterrence, the role of civil society, and the contributions of the EU in promoting international security. Speakers include senior diplomats, academics and technical experts.


Alexei Arbatov (IMEMO and Carnegie Endowment, Moscow, Russian Federation), Nadia Arbatova (IMEMO and Deputy Chair of Russian Pugwash, Moscow, Russian Federation), Jacek Bylica (Principal Adviser and Special Envoy for Non-proliferation and Disarmament, European Union External Action Service), Paolo Cotta-Ramusino (Secretary General of PUGWASH Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Milan, Italy), Paolo Foradori (School of International Studies, University of Trento, Italy), Rebecca Johnson (Executive Director, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, London, UK), Steven Miller (Managing the Atom, Belfer Center, Harvard University, US), Tariq Rauf (SIPRI - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Sweden), Judith Reppy (Science & Technology Studies, Cornell University, US), Enrique Romàn-Morey (Ambassador of Peru to Portugal; Chair, Main Committee I (nuclear disarmament), 2015 NPT Review Conference), Tom Sauer (Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium), Tibor Toth (Executive Secretary Emeritus of the CTBTO, Vienna, Austria), Carlo Trezza (former Chairman, Missile Technology Control Regime - MTCR, Italy).
Confirmation is expected from additional eminent scientists who have been invited to lecture at the School. The course will be articulated in formal lectures, round tables, seminars offered by the participants and general open discussions.