Sharon Squassoni
Sharon Squassoni
Research Professor of International Affairs
Research Faculty
School: Elliott School of International Affairs
Contact:
1957 E St. NW, Suite 403 P
Washington, D.C. 20052
I research, write, and teach about foreign and national security policies related to the risks posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. My current research focuses on North Korea, the risks of new nuclear energy, and the intersection of climate change and national security. I teach graduate courses on nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction arms control. As a former policymaker, I am keen to help students understand the practical opportunities and challenges for decisionmaking in these areas. As a writer, it is my mission to make these complex topics understandable to everyone.
I joined ESIA faculty in 2018, after leading the Proliferation Prevention Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) for 8 years and a few years as a senior scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Prior to that, I served in senior positions at the U.S. Arms Control & Disarmament Agency, the U.S. State Department, and the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress.
I sit on the boards of key organizations in the field, including the Center for Arms Control & Nonproliferation, the Wisconsin Project on Arms Control, the PIR Center, and, previously, the Science & Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, nuclear proliferation, arms control, deterrence, foreign policy, national security
North Korea; risks from new nuclear energy; Iran; Saudi proliferation risks; climate change and national security intersection
Master's degree in National Security Strategy, National War College, 1998
Master's degree in National Security Management, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, 1987
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1984
IAFF 6186 Nuclear Proliferation and Nonproliferation
IAFF 6186 WMD Arms Control
Working Papers
- 2024-2009
IISTP Occasional Papers, “New Nuclear Energy: Assessing the National Security Risks,” April 2024.
Capacity Building in Northeast Asia for Nuclear Energy, March 1, 2023; report for Pacific Forum, Nuclear Energy Experts Group
Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula: An Arms Control Framework, November 18, 2022
IISTP Occasional Papers, editor, “The Next Fifty Years of Nuclear Proliferation,” February 2021.
IISTP Occasional Papers, editor, “Learning From Each Other: How Iran and North Korea
Approach Nuclear Negotiations” December 2020
“Towards a Fissile Zero Future,” Final Report of the Fissile Zero Future project, October 2018.
IISTP Occasional Papers, “Reducing Risks from Naval Nuclear Fuel” October 2018
“CSIS Track II Dialogue on Limiting Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons,” CSIS Workshop Report, September 4, 2014
Nuclear Energy: Rebirth or Resuscitation? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Report, March 2009
CRS Reports from 2002-2007
Books and Book Chapters
- Books
Dunn, Lewis and Sharon, Squassoni, editors, Arms Control: What Next?, (Westview Press: Colorado) 1992
- Book Chapters
"Using Nuclear Weapons: A Sanctionable Offense?" in forthcoming volume edited by Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, 2025.
“Fissile Material Stocks and Production,” with Malte Goettsche, Toward Nuclear Disarmament: Building up Transparency and Verification, German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 2021.
“The Dark Side of Nuclear Energy: Risks of Proliferation from Domestic Fuel Cycle Technologies,” Evolving CRBN and Missile Technology Challenges, Maurizio Martellini and Ralf Trapp, eds., Springer Verlag, June 2020
“Proliferation Risks from Nuclear Power Infrastructure,” in Nuclear Weapons and Related Security Issues, AIP Conference Proceedings, edited by Pierce Corden, Anthony Fainberg, David Hafemeister and Allison Macfarlane, AIP Publishing, Volume Number 1898, November 2017
“The Smaller Countries Face Major Problems, Too: Benelux Members of the Alliance,” in Fighting Allies, ed. Walter Goldstein, (Pergamon Brassey: UK) 1986
Articles, Op-eds
- 2024-1999
“Renuclearization or Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? The Korean Journal on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Energy, 13th edition, January 2023
“The Doomsday Clock is ticking – clock’s hands move closest ever to midnight and catastrophe,” Opinion by Jerry Brown, Sharon Squassoni and Daniel Holz, January 24, 2023
“The Arms Control Believer,” Foreign Policy, September 25, 2018
“Perspective: Fear, Loathing and Nuclear Disarmament,” Current History, January 2018, Vol. 117, No. 795
“A Controversial Ban and the Long Game,” Commentary in Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, September 7, 2017
“How to Get Rid of Nuclear Weapons,” Teen Vogue, August 17, 2017.
“What you need to know about North Korea and Their Nuclear Weapon Threats,” Teen Vogue, April 14, 2017
“The threat that won't go away,” Kyodo News, September 10, 2016
“Obama's Hiroshima visit strengthens his call for nuclear disarmament,” The Guardian, May 27, 2016
“Talk is Cheap: Washington attends the humanitarian impact initiative on nuclear weapons impacts,” Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, December 5, 2014
"Nuclear Security at the Seoul Summit," Global Asia. March 2012
"The U.S.-Indian Deal and its Impact," Arms Control Today. July/August, 2010
“Hanging Questions,” IAEA Bulletin, May 2009
“Grading Progress on 13 Steps Toward Disarmament,” Carnegie Policy Outlook, May 2009
“The New Disarmament Discussion,” Current History, January 2009, Vol. 108, No. 714
“Looking Back: The 1978 Nuclear Nonproliferation Act,” Arms Control Today, December 2008
“Desperate Hours” with Evan Thomas, Newsweek, March 26, 2001.
“Safeguards and Satellite Imagery: Potential Applications,” Journal of Nuclear Materials Management, Winter, 1999
Testimony
- 2024-2008
“Critical Minerals: Why Is Uranium on the List?” Testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Sources,” June 25, 2019
“Implications of U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Cooperation,” Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on the Middle East, 21 March 2018
"Nuclear Cooperation with China: Strong Rules Build Strong Partners,” Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, 16 July 2015
“Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreements: Enhancing Our Nonproliferation Standards,” Testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 20 January 2014
“Nuclear Cooperation and Nonproliferation: Reconciling Commerce and Security,” Testimony before House Foreign Affairs Committee, September 24, 2010
“Nuclear Power in a Warming World: Solution or Illusion?” Testimony before House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, March 2008
Selected Lectures
- 2024
9/24 UN General Assembly High Level Plenary on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests
5/24 Pacific Forum seminar on WMD disinformation, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for U.S. State Department
4/24 Speaker, Pugwash conference on Global Stability and Coming World Order, Istanbul, Turkey.
3/24 United Nations staff, DPPA Expert Dialogue, “Threat reduction, communication channels and nuclear safeguards with North Korea”
3/24 Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, briefing for congressional staff for International Women’s Day
- 2023
12/23 Panelist, GW Institute for Korea Studies, IERES and Korea National Defense University forum at ESIA on North Korean-Russian collaboration
12/23 National Committee on North Korea, “The US-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group: Future Implications in Light of North Korean-Russian Cooperation.”
11/23 INMM Virtual event on CTBTO with Dr. Robert Floyd and Jean du Preez
11/23 Expert participant at Mansfield Foundation meeting with UN envoy on North Korea and panel of experts
11/23 NPEC briefing on sanctions in event of nuclear weapons use
7/23 Lecture for Brookhaven National Laboratory Course on Nuclear Nonproliferation, Safeguards, and Security in the 21st Century
6/23 Carnegie Corporation conference on North Korea held at Pohantico Estate
6/23 Pacific Forum seminars on WMD disinformation, held in Manila and Bangkok.
5/23 Speaker for virtual Track II session hosted by American Academy of Arts & Sciences with Chinese colleagues on strategic stability
3/23 King’s College London conference on irreversibility and nuclear disarmament and panel chair, London, UK
1/23 Center for Arms Control & Nonproliferation meeting for Senate, House staffers, January 25, 2023 on Current Nuclear Risks with Dr. Siegfried Hecker (CISAC, Stanford U) and Dr. Scott Sagan (CISAC, Stanford U)
- 2022
9/22 Nuclear Threat Initiative meeting on nuclear capacity building in Abu Dhabi
8/22 SIPRI Nuclear Disarmament side event, NPT Review Conference, United Nations, New York
7/22 International Academic Forum for the 140th Anniversary of
Korea-U.S. Diplomatic Relations Washington, D.C., for Sigur Center
6/22 Lecture for National Intelligence University workshop on technical elements of proliferation risk
6/22 Lecture for Brookhaven National Laboratory Course on Nuclear Nonproliferation, Safeguards, and Security in the 21st Century
4/22 GWIKS Roundtable on U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry and U.S.-ROK Alliance
3/22 Center for Arms Control & Nonproliferation on AUKUS nuclear submarine export (webinar)
3/22 Wilton Park conference on irreversibility of nuclear disarmament (hybrid event)
- 2021
11/21 Lecture for Konrad Adenauer Stiftung/Atomic Reporters on AUKUS deal, with RADM J. Gower and Tariq Rauf (webinar)
11/21 Congressional staff briefing on US-Russian relationship and arms control for Center for Arms Control & Nonproliferation (webinar)
11/21 SIPRI Stockholm Security Conference on low-yield nuclear weapons in the IndoPacific (webinar)
6/21 German Foreign Office Seminar on Verifying Fissile Material Stocks & Production (webinar)
- 2020
12/20 Roundtable participation for GW Institute for Korean Studies on US-ROK Relations (webinar)
7/20 Presentation on New START on panel with General Peter Zwack (retired) for Network 20/20 (webinar)
5/20 United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Nuclear Disarmament and Other Matters (webinar)
2/20 Expert guest for National World War II Museum’s Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip, which was viewed by 83,000 school children nationwide
2/20 Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) Public Policy Education Retreat, February 10, 2020 on NPT Withdrawal issues
1/20 Two guest lectures on FMCT and TPNW verification; and on Iran and North Korean nuclear proliferation at Middlebury College for a course on verification and nuclear weapons
- 2019
12/19 Workshop on Sino-US nuclear strategic relationship and international security, Shanghai, China, sponsored by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
12/19 Expert Meeting to facilitate the participation of African and Asian States in the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) consultative process held in Bangkok, Thailand on December 17-18, 2019, sponsored by United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, and UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa.
11/19 United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Workshop on Nuclear Risk Reduction, UN Palais, Geneva, Switzerland
5/19 NPEC Dinner, “Not so Fast for Fast Reactors,” Talk on Climate Change and Nuclear Energy
5/19 United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) Regional Workshop on banning the production of fissile material for weapons or other nuclear explosive devices for States from South and East Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
- 2018
12/18 Wilson Center and Korea Nuclear Policy Society, Washington, DC
US-ROK Nuclear Trade and Cooperation
12/18 United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) Workshop on Fissile Material Production Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) in Fiji (virtual)
11/18 CENESS-IISS Workshop on the Geopolitics of Nuclear Energy, Moscow, Russia; Strengthening Global Nuclear Governance Norms
10/18 UNIDIR briefing at United Nations, New York; Excess Fissile Material and Transparency
6/18 Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, DC
US-Russian Crisis Stability Trends
4/18 Arms Control Association and Lugar Center dinner for congressional staff
US-Saudi Nuclear Cooperation
4/18 Pugwash session on The New Nuclear Arms Race and the NPT at NPT Preparatory Commission, Geneva, Switzerland
2/18 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC
Nuclear Risks in Northeast Asia