Bilkent IR Talks, Spring 2021-5
On April 13, 2021, Dr. Ulrich Kühn (Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik, Universität Hamburg) delivered a lecture titled “Choosing the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella: Counterproductive Consequences of Germany’s Love for the Status Quo” for IR Talks @Bilkent. Building upon Dr. Kühn's latest research, the talk analyzed the consequences of Germany's stagnant nuclear policy in the post-Cold War era. Dr. Kühn discussed the trends that dominated the security landscape in Europe in the 1990s - low need for nuclear deterrence and progress on arms control and disarmament - and their reversal once the US-Russia relationship deteriorated. With the appearance of two popular tropes in the European security discourse - "strategic autonomy" and "more German responsibility" - the leadership in Berlin pursued policies prioritizing the transatlantic relationship. This approach backfired as Germany's preference for the status quo has had a negative impact on its relations with Paris and Moscow, its readiness to contribute to European security, and its ability to credibly advocate for nuclear disarmament.Short Bio:
Dr. Ulrich Kühn is the head of “Arms Control and Emerging Technologies” at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH). He is also a non-resident scholar of the Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and founder and permanent member of the Trilateral Deep Cuts Commission. He previously worked for the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Helmut Schmidt University, and the Federal Foreign Office. From 2016 to 2017, he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Dr. Kühn is an alumnus of the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius. His research focuses on arms control and non-proliferation mechanisms, nuclear and conventional deterrence, Euro-Atlantic and European security, and international security institutions.
Please find the link below:
https://youtu.be/w26DNJutsys
