'The Impact of New Technology on Nuclear Deterrence'
Event Date: 29th January 2025
Location: Internet 2pm GMT
Dear colleague,
You are invited to British Pugwash’s latest webinar: ‘The Impact of New Technology on Nuclear Deterrence’ with Prof Tom Sauer on Wednesday 29 January at 14.00 (UK).
To join this webinar register via Zoom here:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/VcC7-YxTSneeRX6B9P-shQ
...
Prof Sauer will argue that the combination of emerging and disruptive technologies and strategic conventional weapons may have a revolutionary impact on the future of the debate about nuclear weapons.
While emerging and disruptive technologies may yield additional arguments to keep relying on nuclear weapons to defend against them, they are often regarded as destabilising for the global nuclear order, which makes it more likely that nuclear deterrence will fail and nuclear weapons will be used.
At the same time, strategic conventional weapon systems (including hypersonic missiles) have deterrence characteristics comparable to nuclear weapons. Because they could be used in a way that at least seeks to comply with jus in bello principles, by minimising civilian harm (in comparison with nuclear weapons), they are also more credible as a deterrent.
This may in turn increase political willingness to seriously consider delegitimising nuclear weapons, and eventually replacing them with the default option: modern conventional weapons.
...
More information on Prof Sauer is available here:
https://europeanleadershipnetwork.org/person/tom-sauer/
https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/tom-sauer/my-website/
...
The recordings of our webinars, meetings and interviews are available on our YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_boWSJUyGWnnojeu6VS2Q
To join this webinar register via Zoom here:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/VcC7-YxTSneeRX6B9P-shQ
...
Prof Sauer will argue that the combination of emerging and disruptive technologies and strategic conventional weapons may have a revolutionary impact on the future of the debate about nuclear weapons.
While emerging and disruptive technologies may yield additional arguments to keep relying on nuclear weapons to defend against them, they are often regarded as destabilising for the global nuclear order, which makes it more likely that nuclear deterrence will fail and nuclear weapons will be used.
At the same time, strategic conventional weapon systems (including hypersonic missiles) have deterrence characteristics comparable to nuclear weapons. Because they could be used in a way that at least seeks to comply with jus in bello principles, by minimising civilian harm (in comparison with nuclear weapons), they are also more credible as a deterrent.
This may in turn increase political willingness to seriously consider delegitimising nuclear weapons, and eventually replacing them with the default option: modern conventional weapons.
...
More information on Prof Sauer is available here:
https://europeanleadershipnetwork.org/person/tom-sauer/
https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/tom-sauer/my-website/
...
The recordings of our webinars, meetings and interviews are available on our YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_boWSJUyGWnnojeu6VS2Q
Tim Street
Secretary
British Pugwash