Strategic Instability and Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Modern Era. An Expert Discussion

On March 12 the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “Strategic Instability and Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Modern Era.” The US and Israeli military operation against Iran, along with Iran’s retaliatory strikes on targets in the Gulf states and Cyprus, has sharply escalated the international situation from the Middle East to South Asia. Issues of strategic stability and nuclear non-proliferation have played a key role, as Iran’s nuclear programme has become the official pretext for US and Israeli actions. Beyond the situation surrounding Iran, new challenges to strategic stability are associated with the expiration of the New START Treaty. The US is not seeking to extend it and is instead demanding China’s involvement in the negotiation process. China, however, emphasizes the incomparability of its strategic potential with that of the US and Russia. For its part, Russia insists on the participation of the UK and France if bilateral negotiations are expanded to a multilateral level. So far, no compromise has been reached. How will the US-Israeli operation impact the nuclear non-proliferation regime? How can we speak of strategic stability and security in a divided world? What can scientists and public forces do to support the non-proliferation regime in the modern era? Speakers: Alexander Nikitin, Professor, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE; Chief Research Fellow, Sector for Military-Political Analysis and Research Projects, Center...