Understanding the Nexus of Proliferation and Terrorism

The 9/11 attacks ushered in a new era of danger for western-style liberal democracies. There seems to be agreement on both ends of the political spectrum of this danger. At the first presidential debate, both President Bush and Senator Kerry recognized the link between nuclear proliferation and terrorism as the most serious threat facing our country.

On September 28, the Division of International Studies will sponsor a panel on this topic as part of the U.S. Army's 2005 Eisenhower National Security Conference on "Shaping National Security: National Power in an International World." The panel will include world-renowned terrorism experts, nonproliferation experts, and those in the policymaking arena who spent time planning the American response to these threats. The scheduled panelists are: Shahram Chubin, director of research at the Geneva Center for Security Policy; Bruce Hoffman, director of the Washington office of the RAND Corporation, and Mitchell Reiss, vice provost for international affairs at the College of William and Mary.

What are ways terrorist groups gain access to nuclear and other unconventional capabilities? What strategies can be adopted at the state level to deter the direct transfer or prevent leakage of such capabilities to non-state actors such as Al-Qaeda? What deterrents should be included in anti-terror strategies? These and other topics will be discussed at this conference. For further conference and registration information, visit www.eisenhowerseries.com/2005ensc/index.html.