Date and Time
April 15, 2010
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Availability
Open to the public
No RSVP required

Abstract
Is the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) a paper tiger, as critics claim, or the foundation of a successful anti-proliferation strategy? To answer this question, we need to understand why countries sign the NPT in the first place. If the NPT is a paper tiger that may even aid countries in advancing their nuclear technology, as critics allege, why did so many countries hesitate to sign it? On the other hand, if the NPT poses real restrictions, as advocates claim, then why do countries that could potentially benefit from a nuclear deterrent nonetheless sign away their right to make the bomb? Understanding who signs the treaty, why, and when is an important step towards a better understanding of how the NPT functions. We develop a simple cost-benefit framework to understand the pros and cons of joining the NPT, emphasizing economic, security, and political factors. We evaluate our framework with statistical models, covering 185 countries from 1968 to 2000, of decisions to join the NPT.

Dr. Karthika Sasikumar earned her Ph.D. from the Government Department at Cornell University in 2006. Her dissertation explores the interaction between India and the international nuclear nonproliferation order. Since then, her research has focused on the emerging global counter-terrorism regime.

Before coming to SJSU, Dr. Sasikumar was a Program Associate at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Associate in the International Security Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has also been a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Liu Institute for Global Issues in Vancouver, and a Predoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. She received M.A. and M.Phil. degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

Her theoretical  interests are in International Relations theory, international regimes,  global security, and media and discourse, while her regional interests are in South Asia (India and Pakistan) and Southeastern Europe (former Yugoslavia). Her current research projects deal with the adoption and adaptation of deterrence theory in South Asia, the implications of a ‘renaissance’ in nuclear power, and civil-military relations in nuclearizing countries.

Christopher Way is an Associate Professor of Government at Cornell University. His research and teaching interests include international / comparative political economy, international relations, and nuclear proliferation. Way's current research focuses on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the effectiveness of the non-proliferation regime, topics on which he has published several journal articles and book chapters.

Arian L. Pregenzer is a 2009-2010 CISAC visiting scholar and a Senior Scientist in the Global Security Program at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is responsible for initiating new programs in arms control and nonproliferation and for developing strategies for international engagement for multiple laboratory programs. In addition, she provides leadership for Sandia's efforts to integrate across nuclear weapons, arms control, and nonproliferation missions to effectively meet nuclear security challenges.

Most recently, Dr. Pregenzer has focused on near-term steps that can enhance nuclear security while advancing the goals of NPT Article VI. She is particularly interested in how international technical cooperation on topics such as verification methods for nuclear arms control, nuclear weapons security and accountability, and nuclear fuel cycle management can establish the technical basis for moving toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Dr. Pregenzer has bachelors' degrees in physics, mathematics, and philosophy from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in theoretical condensed matter physics from the University of California at San Diego. Prior to her career in international security, she worked at Sandia to develop lithium ion sources for particle-beam-driven inertial confinement fusion.