Events

This event is hosted by Professorial Fellow Lauren Sukin.

Abstract

The strategic environment has changed dramatically, but the fundamental motivations for arms control remain as relevant as ever. Even as geopolitical competition intensifies and prospects for new treaties appear increasingly uncertain, states retain powerful incentives to manage strategic risks, prevent miscalculation, and avoid costly and potentially catastrophic conflict. This talk will explore how arms control might be revitalized in an era of renewed great-power competition, considering whether incremental approaches to risk management and risk reduction can help rebuild the foundations for more ambitious agreements. Rather than viewing formal treaties as the necessary starting point, it will examine how practical measures to reduce dangers and manage competition might offer a pathway toward a more durable arms control framework.

About the speaker

Mallory Stewart is Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Strategic Risks and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). From 2022 to 2025, she served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, following her tenure as Special Assistant to President Biden and Senior Director for Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation at the National Security Council. Previously, she held senior positions at Sandia National Laboratories and the State Department, where she worked on arms control, nonproliferation, and emerging security challenges. She served as lead lawyer for the 2013 U.S.–Russian Framework for the Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons, for which she received the Secretary of State’s Award for Excellence in International Security Affairs.