This special episode features the talk by Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, which she gave at the inaugural Peter Wallensteen Lecture on 20 May 2025 in Uppsala. This new lecture series honours our founder Professor Peter Wallensteen.

The talk begins with a critique of the current reliance on deterrence theory. Professor O’Connell then proceeds to argue how AI research and state funds should be reoriented from deterrence towards self-defence based on the principles of international law. We found the talk thought-provoking and hope you too will find it stimulating!

Mary Ellen O’Connell is the Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law and Professor of International Peace Studies—Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, USA. Her work is in the areas of international law on the use of force, international dispute resolution, and international legal theory. Her current work is on AI in the military domain.

After several decades of relative stability, many now question the health of the global nuclear order. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Herzog offers his take on the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine, the rise of China, and recent shifts in US foreign policy under Trump. Is the nuclear taboo eroding? Will more countries acquire nuclear weapons? Are key non-proliferation and disarmament treaties under threat? Stephen has done extensive research on these topics and published many influential papers. In fact, we were so impressed with his thorough, innovative, and surprisingly optimistic analysis that we decided to make this an extended episode!

Dr. Stephen Herzog is Professor of the Practice at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, based at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is the Academic Co-Chair of the Harvard-MacArthur Foundation Beyond Nuclear Deterrence Working Group. Professor Herzog has been involved with the Alva Myrdal Centre's Working Group 1 on Nuclear Negotiations since it began and is a frequent guest lecturer for the AMC's academic programming for students at Uppsala University. He has published widely in scholarly and policy journals and holds a PhD In Political Science from Yale University. Before returning to academia, Dr. Herzog was a nuclear arms control official working for the US Department of Energy.

This episode is produced in cooperation with the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament. It is hosted by Communications Officer Joakim Palmén.

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Here are some of Stephen’s publications, which also served as background for the episode:

This article offers a broad discussion of the Russo-Ukrainian War's implications for the global nuclear order: https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2022.2103255

This chapter assesses how Russia's war on Ukraine will affect prospects for nuclear disarmament and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW): https://www.amacad.org/publication/altered-nuclear-order-wake-russia-ukraine-war/section/2

This article describes the role that China could play in helping to stabilize the global nuclear order: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2024.2401058

In this episode Siri Jansson discusses the joys and challenges of creating the Alva Myrdal Centre’s new database on arms control agreements, AMC data. Siri offers fascinating insights on how visuals have been an integral part of the project since its inception. We also get a sneak peek of what’s next for the AMC Data team! Check out AMC Data: https://amcdata.uu.se/en

In this episode we discuss the link between science and policy with Florian Krampe, who works as Director of Studies, Peace and Development at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI.) Florian has rich experience working at the interface between science and policy and offers valuable perspectives and examples of how successfully bridging the gap between researchers and policymakers can lead to better outcomes.

This episode is hosted by Stefan Döring, who is a researcher at our department.

For more information on the Geneva Water Hub, please see https://www.genevawaterhub.org/

Links to work mentioned in this episode: 1) International Affairs article: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae057, 2) Sipri Fact sheets on climate security: https://www.sipri.org/research/peace-and-development/climate-change-and-risk/climate-related-peace-and-security-risks/recent-pubs 3) Recent article in Environmental Politics: https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2022.2156174, 4) Environment of Peace Report: https://doi.org/10.55163/LCLS7037.

In this episode we look at current threats to democracy and ask if the internet and social media have turned against democracy? Joining us from Norway is Espen Geelmuyden Rød, who is a former researcher at our department. Espen has done research on the social and political causes of autocracy and democracy as well as the political impacts of digital information and communications technology.

Sources mentioned:

The Struggle for Trust Online | Freedom House

Study on US democracy/oligarchy: Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core

Sample of Espen’s Research:

Empowering activists or autocrats? The Internet in authoritarian regimes Espen Geelmuyden Rød and Nils B Weidmann https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022343314555782

The Internet and Political Protest in Autocracies Nils B. Weidmann and Espen Geelmuyden Rød https://academic.oup.com/book/34978

The determinants of democracy: a sensitivity analysis Espen Geelmuyden Rød, Carl Henrik Knutsen and Håvard Hegre https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11127-019-00742-z?te=1&nl=the-interpreter&emc=edit_int_20191111

In this episode, Johan Brosché helps us navigate the complexities and horrors of the civil war currently raging in Sudan. Johan works as associate professor at our department and is one of Sweden’s leading experts on Sudan.

A quick glance at Johan’s CV reveals his academic interest in Sudan, but during our conversation his engagement and empathy for the people of Sudan also became apparent.

During our conversation Johan shared memories from Sudan and recent reports from contacts on the ground, while offering valuable insights into the conflict , paths towards de-escalation and why the war is underreported in Western media. This episode is hosted by Joakim Palmén, Communications Officer at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.

Ludovica Castelli is an expert on the history of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. In the latest episode of our podcast Researching Peace, Ludovica takes us on a fascinating journey covering oft-overlooked nuclear politics in the region and offers her take on recent events in light of this complex history.

This episode is presented by the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament. It is hosted by Giacomo Cassano, who is currently doing his PhD at the Centre as a member of the working group on nuclear negotiations.

Around the world – in both mature and young democracies, elections continue to be a flashpoint for violence. Researchers at our department recently released a model for forecasting violence related to elections, which could help inform the work to protect and promote democracy and electoral integrity around the globe. In this episode we interview David Randahl and Hanne Fjelde, who worked on the project, to explore how the model works and what it could be used for.

The research was led by David Randahl, and the team also included Maxine Leis, Tim Gåsste, Hanne Fjelde and Håvard Hegre based at our department, as well as Staffan I. Lindberg from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg and Steven Wilson from the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. The study was a collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation.

The paper is available as a pre-print through the VDEM working paper series website

This episode is hosted by Joakim Palmén, Communications Officer at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.