Episode notes
In this episode of The Arms Control Primer , Dr Alexander Bollfrass, Elena Sokova and Dr Alexander Sorg examine Belarus’s journey from hosting Soviet nuclear weapons to relinquishing them after independence and joining the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state. They explore the disarmament process of the 1990s and assess the implications of Russia’s renewed deployment of nuclear-capable systems on Belarusian territory for arms control and regional security today. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology…
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The Arms Control Primer
The International Institute for Strategic Studies · News · English
The Arms Control Primer is a thought-provoking podcast series that unpacks the most pressing arms-control issues, explores the nuclear past, present and future, and discusses measures to combat miscalculation, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Each episode
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S6 · E1 · 1 Oct 2026 · 48 min
Better know a treaty: The UN Charter
Signed three weeks before the first nuclear test, the UN Charter says nothing about nuclear weapons, yet it has served as the operating system for the global order for 80 years. Dr Ben Kienzle and Dr Erin Pobjie join host Dr Alexander Bollfrass to explain how UN bodies, diplomatic forums and international law have tried to regulate the use of force and the weapons states possess and whether the system can survive today's crisis. ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and…
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S6 · 30 Sep 2026 · 1 min
The Arms Control Primer | Season 6 | Trailer
🎙️ Season 6 of Arms Control Primer starts 01 October! This season, we're diving deep into the major international arms control treaties: how they came to be, where they succeeded, and where they fell short. Along the way, we'll uncover lessons for today's efforts on arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament. ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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S5 · E12 · 9 Jul 2026 · 50 min
Better know a non-nuke: Argentina
How Argentina pursued nuclear autonomy without ever building a weapon, resisted the NPT on principle and co-founded a landmark bilateral inspection regime with Brazil that rewrote the rules of regional non-proliferation. ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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S5 · E11 · 16 Apr 2026 · 53 min
Better know a non-nuke: Brazil
How Brazil moved from nuclear autonomy and a secret parallel programme to regional safeguards, democratic oversight and a leading role in disarmament debates. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS Research programme ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium Hosted on Acast. See…
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S5 · E10 · 2 Apr 2026 · 43 min
Better know a non-nuke: South Korea
From hosting US nuclear weapons during the Cold War to pursuing and abandoning its own nuclear ambitions, South Korea offers a revealing case study in deterrence, alliance politics and nuclear hedging on the Korean Peninsula. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS Research programme ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU…
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S5 · E8 · 19 Feb 2026 · 34 min
Better know a non-nuke: Kazakhstan
In this week’s episode of The Arms Control Primer, Dr Alexander Bollfrass speaks with Dr Togzhan Kassenova about Kazakhstan’s legacy as the Soviet Union’s primary nuclear testing site, the human and environmental toll at Semipalatinsk, and the political decision to relinquish the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal. They explore Kazakhstan’s path from inheriting over 1,000 warheads to joining the NPT, shaping the Budapest Memorandum, and championing the TPNW and what its experience means for today’s nuclear risk debates. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or…
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S5 · E7 · 5 Feb 2026 · 47 min
Better know a non-nuke: Ukraine
In this episode of The Arms Control Primer , host Dr Alexander Bollfrass speaks with Dr Polina Sinovets and Darya Dolzikova about Ukraine’s nuclear history, from its role in the Soviet nuclear weapons programme to relinquishing nuclear arms in the 1990s, examining the Budapest Memorandum, nuclear coercion during Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the lessons this case holds for deterrence, non-proliferation, and security guarantees today. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control…
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S5 · E6 · 18 Dec 2025 · 33 min
Better know a non-nuke: Libya
In this episode of The Arms Control Primer , host Dr Alexander Bollfrass speaks with Dr Hassan Elbahtimy and Robert Kelley about Libya’s nuclear ambitions from 1969 to 2003, from foreign assistance and links to the A.Q. Khan network to the inspections that followed Muammar Gaddafi’s decision to abandon the programme and the lessons it holds for arms control and verification. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS…
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S5 · E5 · 4 Dec 2025 · 46 min
Better know a non-nuke: Germany
In this episode of The Arms Control Primer , host Dr Alexander Bollfrass speaks with Prof Marina Henke and Dr Andreas Lutsch about Germany’s post-war nuclear trajectory, from early ambitions and NATO’s nuclear-sharing role to the NPT and renewed debates over deterrence amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS Research programme ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the…
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S5 · E4 · 20 Nov 2025 · 36 min
Better know a non-nuke: South Africa
In this episode of The Arms Control Primer , host Dr Alexander Bollfrass is joined by Prof Anna-Mart van Wyk and Dr Robin E. Möser to explore how apartheid-era South Africa built a nuclear arsenal and how, after the end of apartheid, it became the first state to dismantle its weapons entirely. 📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS Research programme ‘ The Arms Control Primer ’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS…
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