NTI Experts Available for Commentary on the NATO Summit

Leaders of the 28 NATO member states will gather in Chicago May 20-21 for the 2012 NATO Summit where they will address Afghanistan, “Smart Defense,” and missile defense.  Less visible will be NATO’s unveiling of the results of its Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) – including NATO nuclear policy – tasked at the 2010 Lisbon summit.  Although it appears unlikely that NATO members will announce bold changes or agree on a clear strategy going forward, maintaining the nuclear status quo may soon be untenable, given changing budget and security priorities. In Chicago, NATO leaders, at the very least, should ensure the final document lays the foundation for future changes to the status quo on a host of related issues, from tactical nuclear weapons to nuclear use or “declaratory” policy.  Changing the nuclear status quo in Europe is essential. Read NTI's backgrounder on the Summit, here.

NTI has experts available for media covering the Summit:

Steve Andreasen is a national security consultant to NTI and its Nuclear Security Project, as well as a professor at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Recently, he co-edited Reducing Nuclear Risks in Europe: A Framework for Action, a report on NATO nuclear policy. He also served as director for defense policy and arms control on the U.S. National Security Council at the White House from February 1993 to January 2001 and held positions with the U.S. Department of State and in the office of U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Jr. His articles and opinion pieces have been published in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Guardian.

Isabelle Williams is co-editor of Reducing Nuclear Risks in Europe: A Framework for Action.  Williams co-directs the Nuclear Security Project. She has previously held positions with the Partnership for Global Security, the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute and at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Joan Rohlfing is NTI president and a founding NTI official. She is co-author of the essay, Reassembling a More Credible NATO Nuclear Policy and Posture and plays strategic roles in all NTI programs, including the Nuclear Security Project, led by former U.S. Cabinet Secretaries George P. Shultz, William J. Perry and Henry A. Kissinger with former US Senator Sam Nunn. Earlier, she held senior positions with the U.S. Department of Energy, as advisor to the U.S. ambassador to India on nuclear security issues, on the staff of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and at the U.S. Department of Defense.

To reach these experts, contact: Cathy Gwin, [email protected], +1-202-454-7706, 202-270-5942 (mobile)