Presenters: Fiona Cunningham (The University of Pennsylvania), Kristin Ven Bruusgaard (University of Oslo), James Cameron (University of Oslo)
Chair: Henrik Hiim (Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS)
The ongoing war in Ukraine places increased urgency on the challenges associated with managing rivalry and competition between the United States, China, and Russia. What is the role of nuclear weapons in this great power competition and how will the war in Ukraine shape future US, Chinese and Russian behavior? How will changes in the nuclear or conventional postures of these three powers in turn affect strategic stability and arms control? These are some of the issues this panel debate will cover.
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Fiona Cunningham is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a Faculty Fellow at Perry World House and affiliated with the Center for the Study of Contemporary China and the Christopher H.. Browne Center for International Politics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests lie the intersection of technology and conflict, with an empirical focus on China. Fiona’s current book project explains how and why China threatens to use space weapons, cyber attacks and conventional missiles as substitutes for nuclear threats in limited wars. Her research has been published in International Security, Security Studies, The Texas National Security Review, and The Washington Quarterly, and has been featured in the New York Times and the Economist. Fiona's work has been supported by the Stanton Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, and the China Confucius Studies Program. She has held fellowships at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Fiona received her Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, both with first class honors. From 2019 to 2021, she was an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Henrik Stålhane Hiim is an Associate Professor at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS). His research focuses on Chinese foreign and security policy. He also has a strong interest in nuclear strategy and arms control. Hiim holds a PhD in political science from Oslo University (2016) and has worked as a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. From 2014-2015, he was a Stanton nuclear security predoctoral fellow at the Security Studies Program at MIT. He has also been a guest researcher at Beijing University. Hiim’s book Strategic Assistance: China and International Nuclear Weapons Proliferation analyzes China's policies towards the nuclear programs of Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. His research has also appeared in journals such as International Security, Asian Security and Survival.
James Cameron is a Postdoctoral Fellow (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo, where he is a member of the Oslo Nuclear Project. His research focuses on the history of arms control from the nineteenth century to the present and the lessons it holds for contemporary policy. He has previously been a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University and Yale University's International Security Studies. He holds a PhD and BA in History from the University of Cambridge and an MPhil in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford.
Kristin Ven Bruusgaard is a Postdoctoral Fellow (Assistant Professor) of Political Science at the University of Oslo, where she is part of the Oslo Nuclear Project. She is also currently serving as the Deputy leader of the Norwegian Defence Commission, a government appointed commission providing policy advice on the future Norwegian defence policy. Her research focuses on nuclear and conventional military strategy, nuclear deterrence and crisis dynamics, with an emphasis on Russian strategy and European security. She has previously been a Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow and a Stanton Nuclear Security Predoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University, a Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), a senior security policy analyst in the Norwegian Armed Forces and a sergeant/junior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). She has also worked at the Congressional Research Service in the U.S. Library of Congress, in the Norwegian Delegation to the EU and at NATO HQ. She holds a Ph.D. in Defence Studies from King’s College London, an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, a B.A. (Hons) in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick. She is a certified language officer in the Norwegian Army. Her work has been published in Security Dialogue, Journal of Strategic Studies, Survival, War on the Rocks, Texas National Security Review, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. She has provided commentary and analyses to a wide range of Norwegian and international news outlets.