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.
2016
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April 27, 2016Her “adventuresome spirit” led to a love of travel and a career that has focused on hunting for radioactive sources.
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March 3, 2016The former UN official talks about her experiences as a biological weapons inspector in Iraq and her early days as a student of veterinary medicine.
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January 14, 2016The former Pentagon chief says intercontinental ballistic missiles are not essential to the U.S. deterrent, worries about the risk of nuclear terrorism, and advocates a “major push” on the [CTBT].
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January 14, 2016The former Los Alamos chemist explains why “[p]hysicists need chemists to make things happen” and how she came to her views on topics such as the Iran nuclear deal and nuclear terrorism.
2015
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September 3, 2015
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July 8, 2015The mayor talks about the idea of a Northeast Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone and the need for the world to know and remember the facts of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
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May 6, 2015
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April 1, 2015
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April 1, 2015With her black nail polish and eyebrow ring, Ray Acheson does not fit the stereotype of a veteran arms controller. As director of the Reaching Critical Will project of the WILPF, she has spent a decade doing disarmament work in the UN system.
2014
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November 4, 2014Captain Richard Dromerhauser of the U.S. Navy led one of the most significant arms control accomplishments in recent years: the maritime destruction of a large portion of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal in July and August 2014.
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November 4, 2014The undersecretary of state for arms control and international security discusses a range of issues including U.S.-Russian nuclear relations and progress by the United States in meeting its commitments under the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
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October 14, 2014The veteran arms control diplomat tells how she found her profession—by accident.
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July 2, 2014The anti-landmine campaigner describes how he became an activist and reflects on his work.
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May 1, 2014The author of Command and Control talks about the origins of the highly praised book and about the risks of nuclear weapons.
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April 1, 2014The assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation explains why the United States signed the ATT, addresses domestic criticism of the pact, and looks ahead to the challenges that the treaty faces.
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January 9, 2014“Getting to Know” is an occasional series that will introduce Arms Control Today readers to interesting people active in the world of arms control.
2013
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December 4, 2013The Netherlands’ top diplomat for the upcoming nuclear security summit in The Hague discusses the goals for the summit and the need to maintain a focus on nuclear security after the summit process ends.
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January 16, 2013Üzümcü spoke with Arms Control Today by telephone on December 19 from his office in The Hague. A large part of the interview dealt with concerns over Syria’s reportedly large arsenal of chemical weapons, the prospect that those weapons would be used, and the OPCW’s responsibilities, capabilities, and constraints with regard to that situation. The interview also covered issues that are likely to receive considerable attention at the upcoming review conference for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), scheduled for April 8-19.
2012
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May 2, 2012Thomas Countryman took office as assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation on September 27, 2011. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1982. While serving in the U.S. mission to the United Nations in the mid-1990s, he was the mission’s liaison with the UN Special Commission investigating Iraq's unconventional weapons programs.
2011
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December 2, 2011As the Pakistani permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva, Zamir Akram serves as Islamabad’s ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament (CD). He has been a member of the Pakistan Foreign Service since 1978. From 2007 to 2008, he was additional foreign secretary for disarmament and arms control in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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November 2, 2011Interviewed by Oliver Meier
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September 27, 2011Interviewed by Peter Crail
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June 2, 2011Wang Qun is Chinese ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary for disarmament affairs and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), a position he has held since 2007. He was president of the CD from March 21 to May 29, 2011. He agreed to answer written questions from Arms Control Today on the CD’s current stalemate, which is preventing progress on the negotiation of a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT) and on other disarmament issues.
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June 2, 2011Interviewed by Daniel Horner and Jonathan B. Tucker
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May 4, 2011Interviewed by Peter Crail, Daniel Horner, and Daryl G. Kimball
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March 25, 2011Interviewed by Tom Z. Collina and Daniel Horner
2010
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March 4, 2010Interviewed by Peter Crail, Daniel Horner, and Daryl G. Kimball
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February 12, 2010Interviewed by Oliver Meier
2009
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November 5, 2009Interviewed by Daniel Horner and Tom Z. Collina
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June 5, 2009Interviewed by Jeff Abramson and Daniel Horner