In January of 2022, leaders of the five main nuclear weapon states agreed that nuclear weapons were for “defense and deterrence only.” Little more than a month later, the state with the most nuclear weapons, Russia, upended that statement by invading its neighbor and using the threat of nuclear weapons to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters. Have we entered into a new Cold War? Are nuclear weapons to be a standard instrument of statecraft? Is the idea of arms control dead?
Schedule
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
5:00 PM - Registration Opens
5:30 PM - Program Begins
Venue
In-person
ASU Memorial Union
Alumni Lounge
301 E Orange St, Tempe
Speakers
John Erath
Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
US Department of State (Retired)
John Erath is the Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, overseeing the policy team and guiding work on issues including Iran, Russia, North Korea, China, U.S. domestic nuclear policy and more. This follows 30 years of government service, much of it in arms control and non-proliferation.
Most recently, he completed a two-year assignment on the U.S. National Security Council, where he was responsible for European issues. In this capacity, he focused on cooperation with NATO and the European Union, as well as heading White House efforts to improve stability in the Balkans. He began his diplomatic career in the 1990s working in what was then Yugoslavia. He was later seconded to the OSCE in Kosovo and the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo. Subsequently, he covered the Balkans at the U.S. Mission to NATO and for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
In Washington, Erath also focused on arms control and non-proliferation, having worked on the delegation for adaptation of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and led the U.S. Delegation to the Wassenaar Arrangement General Working Group. He has also held diplomatic positions in India and Brazil. Until 2018, he headed the political-military affairs office at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.
Erath is a graduate of Georgetown University and has a master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington. He is the author of several award winning articles on military history and three plays. He is married and has two children.
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Moderator
Luke Perez
Assistant Professor of Civic Education,
ASU School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership
Luke M. Perez is Assistant Professor of Civic Education in the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. His scholarly research examines religion, political theory, and American national security. He is currently writing a book manuscript on religious freedom and grand strategy during the Cold War. Dr. Perez completed his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin where he was a graduate fellow of the Clements Center for National Security and the Center for Politics and Governance. Prior to his doctoral studies, Dr. Perez earned his B.A. at The Ohio State University and M.A. at Villanova University. He is a 12-year veteran of the Air National Guard where he served as an avionics maintainer.
