In this episode of Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower, hosts Sarah and Hanna speak with Fiona Cunningham, an assistant professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss China's current nuclear modernization, how it manifests, what might be driving it, how to study and analyze it - and what US policymakers should do about it.

Topics discussed:

1. China's Nuclear Modernization: Increases in size, readiness, accuracy and diversity
2. China's Nuclear Modernization: Motivations
3. China's push for a treaty of no-first-use of nuclear weapons
4. China's ICBM test in late September 2024
5. How to study China's nuclear modernization
6. China and the concept of nuclear balance
7. Policy implications
8. How to bridge the gap between scholarship and policy

In this episode of Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower, hosts Sarah and Hanna speak with Ulrich Kühn, who is head of the research area “Arms Control and Emerging Technologies” at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH) and a Non-Resident Scholar of the Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They discuss “Germany and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century: Atomic Zeitenwende?”, a new book Ulrich edited and published with Routledge in early 2024.

Topics addressed:

1. “Germany and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century: Atomic Zeitenwende?”
2. Germany and nuclear deterrence options: State of play of the German debate
3. Atomic Zeitenwende and public opinion
4. Germany's technical/technological capacity for Atomic Zeitenwende
5. Germany as a potential proliferator in comparative perspective
6. Germany's balancing act between nuclear deterrence and disarmament
7. How to bridge the divide between policymakers and the expert community

In this episode of Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower, hosts Hanna and Sarah are joined by Rose McDermott, the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University. Together, they discuss Professor McDermott's recent article with Reid Pauly on the psychology of nuclear brinkmanship, the under-appreciated role of individuals in nuclear decision-making, and similarities and differences between the psychologies of political elites and the general population. They also consider more generally how and where political psychology and behavioral economics can enhance security studies by challenging normative assumptions about nuclear decision-making and shedding light on the ways that individuals actually behave in the face of uncertainty. Their conversation concludes with an exploration of the policy implications of Professor McDermott's findings and ways to more effectively bridge the gap between scholarship and practice.