Center for Nonproliferation Studies - CNS

09/21/2026

The implications of AI for weapons of mass destruction are expansive. They require close scrutiny of actors' intentions, technology characteristics, and potential governance architecture.

This is the terrain explored in the new special issue of The Nonproliferation Review, the flagship CNS peer-reviewed journal. Edited by CNS/Middlebury College Professor of the Practice Stephen Herzog, this collection examines how AI is changing established WMD problems. It offers a wide view of the AI–WMD nexus, with implications for how scholars and policymakers think about risk, monitoring, technological convergence, and opportunities for restraint.

All articles are currently available for free online access!

Read them here: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rnpr20/33/1-3

09/15/2026

Remembering Ambassador Thomas Graham: A Perspective from a Former South African Diplomat
He will rightly be remembered as a central figure in nuclear nonproliferation diplomacy.

He will rightly be remembered as a central figure in nuclear nonproliferation diplomacy.

09/10/2026

In his welcome message to the Middlebury College community, CNS Director Dr. William C. Potter highlights how the new CNS Vermont Office will help to expand the College's global reach.

Through new course offerings and on-campus programming, students and faculty can connect with our work on WMD nonproliferation and AI and other emerging technologies. There will also be many opportunities to engage with our offices in Monterey, Washington, DC, and Vienna, Austria.

Read his message:

On behalf of CNS, we look forward to welcoming you into our classrooms and speaker events.

09/09/2026

Spooky Action, Real Stakes: The 2nd Quantum Revolution and What’s Ahead for the Nuclear Field
A video seminar with Dr. Sarah Case Lackner.

A video seminar with Dr. Sarah Case Lackner.

08/21/2026

New analysis from CNS Professor of the Practice Stephen Herzog and colleagues examines how public attitudes toward different weapons can shape the political limits of military force.

Across various WMD and conventional weapons systems, the piece shows how perceptions of weapon type and civilian harm can matter even more than battlefield effectiveness.

Read the analysis in the Irregular Warfare Initiative: https://www.irregularwarfare.org/what-makes-a-weapon-too-horrific-to-use/

08/04/2026

Russia expert Hanna Notte talks about her new book, ‘We Shall Outlast Them’
Hanna Notte details how President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is also a war on the West.

Hanna Notte details how President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is also a war on the West.

07/23/2026

What should responsible governance of AI-enabled risks in the nuclear and biological weapons domains look like? CNS has released the full text of the Asilomar Principles for Governing AI Applications in Nuclear and Biological Security.

Read them here:

CNS releases principles for its landmark Asilomar Process, aiming for sustained cross-sector dialogue on early AI governance.

07/22/2026

Putin’s Gamble Might Pay Off
For all the jeopardy of the war, Mr. Putin has gambled on outlasting the West.

For all the jeopardy of the war, Mr. Putin has gambled on outlasting the West.

07/16/2026

A Personal Perspective of U.S.-China Nuclear Science and Security Cooperation
This article by Siegfried S. Hecker presents a historical narrative of U.S.-China cooperation in nuclear security following China’s political opening in the early 1970s.

This article presents a historical narrative of U.S.-China cooperation in nuclear security following China’s political opening in the early 1970s.

06/18/2026

New in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: CNS researchers introduce the Asilomar Principles for Governing AI Applications in Nuclear and Biological Security.
The principles build on our April 2026 conference and mark the beginning of a new Asilomar Process. It aims to bring policymakers, weapons experts, and AI developers into early and sustained dialogue.
Read the article by Stephen Herzog, Allison Berke, Yanliang Pan, William C. Potter, and Douglas B. Shaw:

Seven principles from a recent Asilomar conference address how AI will affect nuclear and biological threats.