In July, 2017, 122 states voiced support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which will enter into force 90 days after 50 states ratify it. However, none of world’s nuclear power states signed on, which poses the questions: how effective can the treaty be and how can one of its main goals, complete nuclear disarmament, be achieved through further treaty developments or other efforts?
The Washington Foreign Law Society and the Stimson Center hosted an on-the-record discussion on the prospects of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on December 6, 2017 at the Stimson Center’s office in Washington, DC.
The conversation featured the following panel:
Barry M. Blechman is co-founder of the Stimson Center and served as chairman of Stimson’s Board from 1989 to 2007, and returned to the Board in 2014. He also serves as a Trustee of Whittier College in Los Angeles. Blechman founded DFI International Inc., a research consultancy, in 1984, and served as its CEO until the company’s sale in 2007. He has taught at several universities and written extensively on national security issues.
Ambassador James E. Goodby is an Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He participated in the creation of the IAEA and the negotiation of the limited nuclear test ban and other treaties and agreements. His most recent book is “Approaching the Nuclear Tipping Point: Cooperative Security in an Era of Global Change” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017).
Mallory Stewart is Nonresident Fellow in the WMD, Nonproliferation, and Security program at the Stimson Center. Her areas of expertise include nonproliferation and arms control law. Prior to joining Stimson, Stewart was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Emerging Security Challenges and Defense Policy in the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance (AVC) at the U.S. Department of State.
Debra Decker (Moderator) is Stimson Senior Advisor and member of the Board of Governors of the Washington Foreign Law Society. She has more than 20 years of experience developing policies and managing processes in the private and public sectors and is a subject matter expert in the field of risk management. She is also president of Decker Advisors, LLC, a firm focused on developing solutions to complex national security problems.
