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Australia and the Bomb

Based on new archival material from the Australian National Archives and interviews with former and current senior defense officials, Christine M. Leah's new book explores the historical origins of the Asian nuclear landscape and their profound consequences for contemporary policy regarding US extended deterrence and proliferation by allies.

Date & Time

Wednesday
Jan. 28, 2015
2:00pm – 3:30pm ET

Location

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
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Overview

Right up until 1973, Australia made serious efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, but it gave up these attempts once the Asia-Pacific became more stable. We are once again at a critical juncture in the Asia-Pacific, with major powers jockeying for power. Nuclear strategy, extended deterrence, and proliferation have risen to the top of the policy agenda in the region, generating sharp debate even in Australia. The historical origins of the Asian nuclear landscape have profound consequences for contemporary policy regarding US extended deterrence and proliferation by allies.

Join us at the Wilson Center as Christine Leah speaks on her new book, Australia and the Bomb, based on new archival material from the Australian National Archives and interviews with former and current senior defense officials.

Christine M. Leah is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Grand Strategy Program at Yale University. Previously a Stanton Postdoctoral Fellow in Nuclear Security at MIT, a visiting fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a summer research fellow at RAND, a research intern at IISS-Asia, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, IISS-London, the French Ministry of Defense, and the UMP office of Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy. She has published in the Journal of Strategic Studies, Asian Security, the Australian Journal of International Affairs, The National Interest, and with RSIS and RAND. 

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Nuclear Proliferation International History Project

The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews, and other empirical sources. At the Wilson Center, it is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

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