Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer will speak at the Monterey Institute on March 24.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, currently director of the Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative at the Brookings Institute, will give a public lecture on “Russian Power Diplomacy and Eurasian Intergration” in the Monterey Institute’s Irvine Auditorium at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 24.

Ambassador Pifer is a senior fellow with the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence and the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. Pifer’s career as a foreign service officer centered on Europe, the former Soviet Union and arms control. Pifer also had postings in London, Moscow, Geneva and Warsaw, as well as on the National Security Council. At Brookings, Pifer focuses on arms control, Ukraine and Russia issues.

This lecture is free and open to the public, and is part of the Monterey Institute’s spring 2014 Colloquium on Economic Statecraft and Diplomacy.

Student volunteers and participants enjoy a break during the MonTREP conference.

The Monterey Terrorism Research and Education Program at the Monterey Institute hosted its second annual student-driven conference on March 6-7. This year the focus was on terrorism and counter-terrorism in Africa with several panel discussions with noted experts in the field as well as students, and a keynote address by former Congressman Jim Kolbe.

The conference is organized by a group of students from the Institute’s graduate program in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies, with academic supervision and support from Brig. General Russ Howard, director of MonTREP, and financial support from the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, the Lynde and Harry Bradly Foundation, McGraw Hill Publishing and the Monterey Institute.

Over a hundred people participated in the conference, held at the Institute’s Irvine Auditorium. On Thursday, March 6, five Monterey Institute students presented on a student panel moderated by Colonel Danial Pick. On Friday, March 7, Brig. Gen. Howard kicked off the conference, which started with a panel discussion on “Terrorism in Africa: a Regional Perspective” before moving on to a discussion about “Counterterrorism in Africa: a Whole of Government Approach.” After lunch there was a Monterey Threat Analysis Platform (MTAP) demonstration before the discussion turned to “Illicit Trafficking in Africa.” The conference ended with a closing keynote address by former Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe. The student organizers all agreed that the conference was exceeding expectations and that it was a great learning experience.

Amy Smithson appeared on PBS Newshour discussing the situation in Syria on August 21, 2013.

The current, rapidly evolving Syria crisis has led U.S. and international news outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, CNN, Al Jazeera and Reuters to seek comments from the world’s foremost experts in chemical weapons, threat reduction mechanisms and nonproliferation—many of them found at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and its James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Below are some highlights of the many media appearances by MIIS and CNS experts over the last three days:

September 11

New York Times – “Chemical Disarmament Hard Even in Peacetime”
Amy Smithson, Senior Fellow with CNS in Washington, D.C., and Raymond Zilinskas, MIIS professor and director of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Nonproliferation Program at CNS, are featured prominently in front page article about the challenge of monitoring and securing Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal.

Wall Street Journal – “Dismantling Weapons Poses Logistics, Security Challenges”
Amy Smithson interviewed above the logistics of a diplomatic solution for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons.

Los Angeles Times – “Disarming Syria of Chemical Weapons Highly Complex, Experts Say”
Raymond Zilinskas gives his expert opinion on the challenges of finding and dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons.

MSNBC – “The Cat-and-Mouse Game with Chemical Weapons”
Assistant Professor and CNS Fellow Philipp Bleek assesses the issue for MSNBC.

CNN – “Syria’s Chemical Arsenal at a Glance”
CNN quotes a CNS report about Syria’s chemical agent research, production and arsenal.

Al Jazeera – “Will Syria Give Up Its Chemical Weapons?”
Amy Smithson interviewed by Al Jazeera.

September 10

National Public Radio – “Getting Rid of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Would Be Difficult”
Robert Siegel spoke at length with Amy Smithson on the popular afternoon news magazine, All Things Considered.

KGO Radio – “Newstalk”
CNS Deputy Director Jon Wolfsthal talks about the Syria crisis and the policy challenges facing President Obama ahead of his address to the nation on Tuesday.

International Business Times – “Syria: Even if They Hand over Their Chemical Weapons Stockpile, Could They Still Make More as Assad Fights for His Life?”
Jon Wolfsthal tells the IBT that any agreement with Syria should be viewed skeptically, but that Assad could be deterred from using chemical weapons either for fear of violating agreement or US military action.

September 9

New York Times – “Unit Experienced in Chemical Weapon Destruction Stands Ready to Help”
Raymond Zilinskas talks to the NY Times about the likely role of inspectors if parties agree on a plan to move forward.

Reuters – “Dismantling Syria Chemical Weapons Arsenal Would Be Tough Task”
Amy Smithson talks about the experience of weapons inspectors in Iraq and Libya in relation to prospects in Syria in a Reuters news wire.

Los Angeles Times – “Obama Weighs Russia Proposal on Syria Chemical Arsenal”
Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at CNS, was interviewed about the pros and cons of the Russian diplomatic initiative.

Christian Science Monitor – “Russia’s New Syria Plan Could Turn ‘Quagmire’ into an Easy Win”
Jon Wolfsthal is quoted on the diplomatic proposal for Syria to put its chemical weapons under international control.

Aaron Stein (MAIPS ’10) chaired one of the student delegations during the arms control negotiation simulation course at the Monterey Institute in October 2009.

Monterey Institute alumnus Aaron Stein (MAIPS ’10) has been named one of the “2013 Top 99 Foreign Policy Leaders Under 33,” an international list recognizing the most influential foreign policy leaders under the age of 33. The list is published by Diplomatic Courier magazine and co-sponsored by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

Stein is a research associate at the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Istanbul, where he works on security and proliferation issues in the Middle East. In 2012, he and center director Sinan Ulgen launched Turkey’s first nonproliferation and disarmament program, creating a website that he describes as “the first comprehensive collection of scholarly articles covering all aspects of Turkey’s nuclear program and policies.” His work has been published in scholarly journals and print media including the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, and World Politics Review.

“Aaron first demonstrated his leadership qualities to me during a semester-long U.S.-Russian arms control negotiation simulation in which he chaired the U.S. student delegation,” commented Dr. William Potter, director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute. “He excelled as a young scholar, writing a very creative research paper that explored the impact of psychological factors on Iranian nuclear perspectives. Aaron’s language skills and ability to bridge the theory/policy divide distinguishes him from many young leaders, and should serve him well as he pursues his chosen career.”

Stein is currently a PhD candidate at King’s College, London, researching Iranian and Turkish nuclear decision-making. In addition to his MA in international policy studies from the Monterey Institute with a specialization in nuclear nonproliferation, he holds a BA in political science from the University of San Francisco. The complete list of “99 Under 33” is available on the Diplomatic Courier website.

VCDNP Visiting Distinguished Scientist Dr. Siegfried Hecker being interviewed by the media after an April 2013 talk at the Vienna Center.

The Monterey Institute of International Studies and its James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) learned recently that CNS will receive a $2,000,000, four-year, matching challenge grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY). The grant was provided to enable the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) to sustain and expand its work on various initiatives to improve international governance on issues related to nonproliferation and nuclear security.

“We are thrilled to work with Carnegie Corporation on these issues of vital international importance,” said CNS Founder and Director William Potter upon learning of the grant’s approval. “The VCDNP is a new but critical player on the nuclear stage in Vienna, and we are excited about the opportunities this new grant presents. It will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to strengthen global nuclear norms.”

“This grant will be a genuine difference-maker, helping CNS and the Vienna Center to continue to build on the excellent work they have done over the past two years,” commented Institute President Sunder Ramaswamy. “We are delighted to continue the strong partnership we have experienced working with the Carnegie Corporation.”

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation is an international think tank created in 2011 with the support of the Austrian Foreign Ministry and operated by CNS. Headed by Executive Director Elena Sokova, the center has rapidly established itself as an intellectual and policy hub in Vienna, hosting dozens of seminars and workshops, facilitating dialogue and discussions among national governments, international organizations, and the civil society, and offering training programs on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament to diplomats and other practitioners from around the world. As such, the center fills a very important niche, and provides a much needed platform for candid, in-depth, and result-oriented discussion on the most pressing nonproliferation and nuclear security issues.

“The CCNY grant is a recognition of the accomplishments of the center and its potential role in further strengthening global nuclear governance,” observed Ms. Sokova.