UNA Warwick & District: Nuclear Proliferation and NPT

Guest Speaker: Dr Jenny Nielson

Jenny Nielson is a Research Analyst for the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Prior to joining the Institute, Jenny was a Programme Manager for the Defence and Security programme at Wilton Park, managing high- level international conferences on WMD-related issues. Jenny holds a PhD (Thesis title: US Nuclear Non-proliferation Policy and Iran (1969-80): an analysis of bilateral policy), an MSc in Global Politics from the University of Southampton, and a BA in International Relations from the University of San Diego. Whilst pursuing her PhD studies, Jenny was also a Research Assistant at the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies at the University of Southampton, tasked with supporting research on the NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) review process, including editing of the MCIS/CNS NPT Briefing Book for the NPT PrepCom and RevCon meetings between 2004-2012.

Jenny will address the UNA meeting on issues relating to the three pillars of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty - disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy - continue to make headline news. In the UK, with the decision on Trident renewal due in 2016, Prime Minister David Cameron has recently pledged his commitment to Trident ahead of the findings of the Trident Alternative Review. North Korea continues to defy international norms with its most recent nuclear test and its threatening, aggressive rhetoric. Major Powers talks with Iran continue to try to satisfy international concerns about its nuclear energy pursuits. The Helsinki Conference on a WMD-free zone in the Mid-East failed to convene in 2012. The P5 boycotted the 2013 Oslo Conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. The NPT parties convening in May 2015 for the next NPT Review Conference certainly face many challenges to the nuclear proliferation regime. Is the NPT still the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime? What opportunities exist to address these challenges and strengthen the regime?