Analysis / Next Gen CommunityKazakhstan Chose Russia and China for Its Reactors. Washington Wasn’t Even in the Room.ByAlexei (Frank) HoffmanPublished Feb 24, 2026Kazakhstan’s June 2025 decision to award its first three nuclear power plants to Russia’s Rosatom and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) exposes a blind spot in U.S. strategy toward Central Asia.
Analysis The Negotiator Files: A Conversation with Ambassador Ronald LehmanByCSIS PONIPublished Feb 20, 2026In this episode of The Negotiator Files, Ambassador Ronald Lehman discusses his role as the chief U.S. negotiator of the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I). He describes U.S. objectives to limit Soviet fast-flying missiles as well as negotiations over the treaty’s verification measures. Lehman then proceeds to explain the key agreements of the… Series The Negotiator Files
Analysis The Negotiator Files – A Conversation With Rose GottemoellerByCSIS PONIPublished Feb 6, 2026This interview is a part of CSIS PONI’s Arms Control Knowledge Transfer Initiative (ACKTI), a program designed to preserve knowledge through senior expert interviews and primary source archival research, to educate the next generation of arms control experts on all aspects of arms control, including negotiation, implementation, inspection, and more. The full transcript and more information on the project can be found here: https://ackti-archive.csis.org/. Series The Negotiator Files
Analysis / CommentaryThree Truths About the End of New START and What It Means for Strategic CompetitionByHeather WilliamsPublished Feb 2, 2026The expiration of New START does not necessarily foretell an arms race or a massive U.S. nuclear buildup. Instead, the expiration of the treaty may be an opportunity for a new era of arms control.
Analysis / Next Gen CommunitySILEX: Laser Enrichment Between Promise and Proliferation RiskByKobe YoungPublished Jan 16, 2026SILEX could materially strengthen civilian nuclear fuel supply and energy security, but its efficiency, compact footprint, and reliance on laser technologies also create new challenges for IAEA safeguards and NPT nonproliferation norms.
Analysis The Negotiator Files: A Conversation with Lewis DunnByCSIS PONIPublished Jan 15, 2026This interview is a part of CSIS PONI’s Arms Control Knowledge Transfer Initiative (ACKTI), a program designed to preserve knowledge through senior expert interviews and primary source archival research, to educate the next generation of arms control experts on all aspects of arms control, including negotiation, implementation, inspection, and more. The full transcript and more information on the project can be found here: https://ackti-archive.csis.org/. Series The Negotiator Files
Analysis / ReportProject Atom 2025: Escalation Management in Acute and Protracted Conflicts in the Indo-PacificByHeather Williams, Lachlan Mackenzie, Elena Tiedens, Mike Albertson, Matthew Costlow, Adam Mount, Kori Schake and Rebecca ShrimptonPublished Jan 8, 2026To generate new thinking on the risks of escalation in the Indo-Pacific, the Project on Nuclear Issues invited a group of experts to develop competing strategies for managing escalation with China.
Analysis / Next Gen CommunityAll Military Means? Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Risks of Nuclear AmbiguityBySameer Ali KhanPublished Dec 1, 2025The new Pakistan–Saudi defense pact invokes ‘all military means’—but leaving nuclear commitments ambiguous risks overstretching the Pakistani nuclear deterrent and fueling speculation abroad.
Analysis / CommentaryGolden Dome for America: Assessing Chinese and Russian ReactionsByRaymond Wang and Lachlan MackenziePublished Nov 20, 2025This article surveys Chinese and Russian reactions to Golden Dome and develops an initial assessment of its potential impact on arms racing and strategic stability.
Analysis / ReportStrategic Trends 2025ByNicholas Adamopoulos, Diya Ashtakala, Doreen Horschig, Lachlan Mackenzie, Catherine Murphy, Joseph Rodgers, Bailey Schiff, Pranay Vaddi, Heather Williams and Reja YounisPublished Nov 18, 2025In a world where old nuclear guardrails are eroding and new rivalries are converging, Strategic Trends 2025 charts how the United States and its allies must navigate a disorderly, multi-adversary nuclear landscape and rethink deterrence for an unpredictable era.