Dive into the unique history of South Africa's nuclear disarmament with Robin Möser (University of Potsdam), Betty Suh (SWP), and Oliver Meier (European Leadership Network), moderated by Julian Wucherpfennig (Hertie School). This event is hosted by the Centre for International Security.
South Africa remains the only state that developed a nuclear weapons capability, but ultimately decided to dismantle existing weapons and abandon the programme.
Disarming Apartheid: The End of South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme and Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 1968–1991, a new book written by Robin Möser and published by Cambridge University Press, reconstructs the South African decision-making and diplomatic negotiations over the country's nuclear weapons programme and its international status, drawing on new and extensive archival material and interviews. This deeply researched study brings to light a unique disarmament experience. It traces the country's previously neglected path towards accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Rather than relying primarily on US government archives, the book joins the burgeoning field of national nuclear histories based on unprecedented access to policymakers and documents in the country studied. Robin Möser, in addition to providing access to important new documents, offers original interpretations that enrich the study of nuclear politics for historians and political scientists.
In this event, Robin Möser (University of Potsdam) will present and discuss the history of South African nuclear disarmament with Betty Suh (SWP - German Institute for International and Security Affairs) and Oliver Meier (European Leadership Network). This event is hosted by the Centre for International Security and moderated by Julian Wucherpfennig (Hertie School).
Speakers
Robin E. Möser is Programme Coordinator at the Potsdam Graduate School at the University of Potsdam, Germany. He studied African and Global Studies at Leipzig University. His research interests include the Cold War, South(ern) Africa, Apartheid, Global History, and Nuclear Non-Proliferation. His research was published in The Nonproliferation Review, in Comparativ, and in The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Forthcoming works will appear in Cold War History and the Journal of Strategic Studies.
Elisabeth I-Mi (Betty) Suh is an associate with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), working in the project “Strategic Threat Analysis and Nuclear (Dis-)Order”. Betty is also a PhD Fellow at the Institute for Peace Studies and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH); she analyzes North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and signaling vis-à-vis the United States in her dissertation. Previously, Betty was research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); other work experiences include stints for the Organization of Security Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin, and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF). Betty is also a member of the International Students/Young Pugwash (ISYP) Leadership Team, part of the Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program and the Hague Code of Conduct Youth Group.
Oliver Meier is the Policy & Research Director at the ELN. Prior to this, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH). Previously, he was Deputy Head in the International Security Division of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). He holds a PhD in political science from the Free University of Berlin and his expertise includes control of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation, Iran’s nuclear program, and European security. From 2005 to 2013, Dr. Meier was the International Correspondent and Representative of the Arms Control Association and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. He previously served on the staff of Uta Zapf, then a member of the Bundestag’s Foreign Relations Committee and Chairwoman of the Sub-Committee on Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Prior to working in the Bundestag, he was a Senior Researcher at the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC).
Moderator
Julian Wucherpfennig is Professor of International Affairs and Security at the Hertie School. His research focuses on the strategic nature of political violence and conflict processes, especially ethnic civil war and terrorism. He has been an Assistant Professor and Programme Director for Security Studies at University College London, and a postdoctoral research fellow at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, from where he holds a PhD (2011) and an MA (2008) in political science. He has also been a Research Associate at the Gallup Organisation Europe. His PhD on ethnic conflict was awarded the ECPR Jean Blondel Prize.
