The nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction is one of the most pressing challenges facing international security. But how can technological innovations, social processes, and political responsibility work together to address this threat? This question was the focus of the panel “Technology, Power, Responsibility: Interdisciplinary Research Approaches to the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,” which brought together researchers from VeSPoTec and CNTR at the annual colloquium of the German Association for Peace and Conflict Research (AFK).
The panel, chaired by Linda Ostermann (RWTH Aachen University), demonstrated how different bodies of knowledge—ranging from technology assessment to peace and conflict studies—can collectively open up new perspectives on the non-proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The goal is to highlight methodological and thematic intersections and to explore joint research potential as well as limitations.
The panel’s presentations reflected the breadth of the challenges:
- “Societal Verification” as a New Approach: Robin Möser (CNTR) presented an alternative verification approach that more closely involves societal actors in the monitoring of nuclear nonproliferation.
- AI and Biotechnology: Opportunities and Risks: Dunja Sabra, Johannes L. Frieß, and Gunnar Jeremias (University of Hamburg, ZNF) analyzed how artificial intelligence and biotechnology are transforming the security architecture.
- Simulations as a Mirror of Reality: In an ethnographic study, Linda Ostermann, Julian Schäfer, and Maximilian Tkocz (RWTH Aachen/PRIF) examined a nuclear disarmament simulation.
- China’s Nuclear Ambiguity: René Geiser and Laura Mertes (RWTH Aachen/CNTR) examined how China uses technological ambiguity as a security strategy with the CFR-600 reactor type.
The panel made it clear: Combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction requires novel technical solutions in combination with a deep understanding of current social and political dynamics shaping and underlying the international nonproliferation debate.
