William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Rose Gottemoeller, chief negotiator on the new START treaty; Laura Holgate, National Security Council senior director for WMD terrorism and threat reduction; among the speakers
Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Today, leading academics, activists and public leaders from around the world will debate our global nuclear future at a symposium hosted by Tufts University's Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) Feb. 23 to 27.
"Our Nuclear Age: Peril and Promise," the 25th Anniversary Norris and Margery Bendetson EPIIC (Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship) International Symposium, will examine issues including the threat of nuclear arms in states such as North Korea and Iran, the implications of the START treaty, nuclear terrorism, nuclear weapons modernization, the future of nuclear energy, the Obama security strategy and the legacy of Hiroshima.
"The IGL symposium will discuss truly critical issues related to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation," noted Sergio De Queiroz Duarte, high representative for disarmament affairs, U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs.
Speakers at the 25th anniversary symposium include:
• Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University; author, "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe" • Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy; dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University • Rose Gottemoeller, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, U.S. Department of State; chief negotiator on the new START treaty with the Russian Federation • Olli Heinonen, former deputy director general and head of the Department of Safeguards, International Atomic Energy Commission • Pervez Hoodbhoy, professor of high energy physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Pakistan • Laura Holgate, National Security Council senior director for weapons of mass destruction terrorism and threat reduction • Han Hua, director of the Center for Arms Control and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Peking University, China • Saira Khan, author, "Iran and Nuclear Weapons, Protracted Conflict and Proliferation" • Ariel Levite, former principal deputy director general for policy, Israeli Atomic Energy Commission • Richard Meserve, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission • Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, former chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's Weapons of Mass Destruction Department • William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense • Gary Samore, National Security Council coordinator for arms control and nonproliferation "We are gathering at a time of tremendous uncertainty given the current chaos in Pakistan, political volatility in Iran, concerns over Israeli pre-emptive strikes, the looming transition of power in North Korea, and the potential for a 'dirty bomb' terrorist attack," noted Sherman Teichman, founding executive director of the IGL. "At the same time, there is a world view that envisions a nuclear power 'renaissance' as a solution to climate change. As the world considers investing billions of dollars on the modernization of nuclear forces and nuclear power, symposium experts and attendees will be probing what is realistic and alarmist about these scenarios and what are the most intelligent choices we can make."
The symposium, which is organized by students in the Institute of Global Leadership's EPIIC program, will be held in the Cabot Intercultural Center and in the Pearson Hall on the Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus. International student delegations will be attending from Brazil, China, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Turkey as well as cadets and midshipmen from the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy.
There is also an invitation-only, day-long professional workshop on Feb. 24: "The Genie Travels On: The Challenges of Emergent Nuclear States", convened by Richard Meserve and Tufts Professor Vincent Manno (http://www.tuftsgloballeadership.org/nuclearworkshop). Media are invited for the culminating session at 3:30 p.m.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.tuftsgloballeadership.org/programs/epiic/symposium or call 617-627-3314 (general inquiries) or 617-627-4703 (members of the news media.)
"Our Nuclear Age: Peril and Promise"EPIIC Symposium at Tufts University Feb. 23-27, 2011
Wednesday, February 237:30 p.m. - Religion, Ethics, and the Bomb
Thursday, February 248:30 a.m.- The Genie Travels On: The Challenges of Emergent Nuclear States (invitation-only)7:30 p.m.- Nuclear Renaissance? The Reliability and Desirability of Nuclear Power
Friday, February 2512 p.m.- Nuclear Secrets- Democracy and the National Security State2 p.m. - The Nuclear Regime: Power Politics and the Future of the NPT 6:30 p.m. - Welcome and Introductions7 p.m. - The Legacy of Hiroshima7:30 p.m. - Dr. Jean Mayer Award Addressees8 p.m. -The US Nuclear Strategic Posture: Deterrence, START and Beyond
Saturday, February 269:30 a.m. - Confronting North Korea11:15 a.m. - Rethinking Iran2:30 p.m. - South Asia: Nuclear Ambitions and Intentions Sunday, February 271 p.m. Nuclear Terrorism: The Global Specter3 p.m. - The Day After: 21st Century Nuclear Attack
Schedule subject to change.
Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university is widely encouraged.
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