Interviews
Arms Control Today regularly conducts interviews with current and former members of government and international organizations about timely arms control and nonproliferation issues. Below are the full transcripts of these interviews conducted by Arms Control Association staff. Occasionally, a detailed article with additional analysis will accompany the interview; these can be found in the Arms Control Today archives.
2023
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April 1, 2023Despite chemical weapons violations by Russia and Syria, Manso is bullish about the treaty and its impact.
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January 10, 2023Although the outcome was modest, the conference produced one of the few international agreements of 2022, he says.
2022
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December 1, 2022He knows some think he is naïve but says, “It’s far more naïve to think that we can continue the way that we’re going.”
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November 1, 2022The Irish diplomat discusses the initiative he led to better protect civilians from the ravages of war.
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June 1, 2022Ahead of a conference to review the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, U.S. President Joe Biden's special representative for nonproliferation says Russia's nuclear saber rattling is out of step with the treaty's goals.
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May 1, 2022The president-designate of the first meeting of states-parties of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons prepares to move the pact forward at a difficult time in Russian-U.S. relations.
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April 1, 2022Russia's war on Ukraine erodes a main bargain of the nonproliferation regime, that if a country forgoes nuclear weapons, its security will not be threatened.
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March 1, 2022Three experts on Russia talk about the origins of the crisis and what a resolution could involve.
2021
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October 1, 2021Confronting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Challenge: An Interview With New CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd
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July 1, 2021International reaction to the recent cases of chemical weapons use clearly shows that the world is not willing to accept the erosion of the Chemical Weapons Treaty, Baumann tells Arms Control Today.
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Negotiating With North Korea: An interview with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen BiegunJune 1, 2021As the Biden administration prepares to engage with North Korea, Biegun says establishing a reliable channel of communication with Pyongyang is key to making progress.
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May 1, 2021As global security deteriorates and the world becomes more polarized, Sweden is advocating moves to stabilize the situation and create a new opening for arms control progress.
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January 1, 2021The president-designate of the 10th NPT Review Conference discusses the political and logistical hurdles facing the delayed meeting.
2020
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September 1, 2020Iran’s UN ambassador sets out the case against U.S. actions in the Security Council.
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April 1, 2020Russia’s ambassador to the United States discusses strategic security, New START, and other key topics.
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March 1, 2020The State Department’s head of delegation to the 2020 NPT Review Conference provides the U.S. perspective on the meeting.
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January 10, 2020New START is a stabilizing force that should be extended while future arms control options are explored.
2019
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June 3, 2019Arms Control Today interviews Argentine diplomat Rafael Mariano Grossi to learn his plans to prepare for the 2020 NPT Review Conference.
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April 1, 2019Representative Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) discusses congressional oversight of U.S. nuclear commerce and his concerns about providing U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.
2018
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December 1, 2018Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the prospective chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, discusses his policy priorities, the limits of military spending, and the peril of a new nuclear arms race.
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October 1, 2018Fernando Arias, the new director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, discusses the challenges to the international chemical weapons ban and how the OPCW is responding.
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May 1, 2018Two experts look ahead to a pivotal meeting.
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April 1, 2018Poland’s permanent representative to the UN Office and international organizations in Vienna discusses his role as chairman of the April 23–May 4 session of the preparatory committee for the 2020 review conference of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
2017
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December 1, 2017What’s next for the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons?
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October 1, 2017NPT at 50
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September 1, 2017The NPT at 50
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July 10, 2017Michèle Flournoy is co-founder and chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security. She served as undersecretary of defense for policy from February 2009 to February 2012. The interview was conducted May 25 by Kingston Reif and Maggie Tennis. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
2016
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October 31, 2016Hecker discusses his experiences cooperating with his Russian counterparts in the aftermath of the Cold War, his concerns about the breakdown in relations with Russia, and North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal.
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July 5, 2016The ambassador to the United States and former Iran deal negotiator reflects on how that agreement was reached, possible bumps ahead, and dangers posed by Iranian ballistic missile development...
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May 31, 2016The longtime analyst reflects on Iraq, Iran, and “responsible intelligence tradecraft.”