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The research programme consists of two broad portfolios. The first, which deals with issues relating to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focuses on: North Korean and Iranian nuclear diplomacy; countering proliferation finance and the sanctions regimes imposed to address proliferation threats; and the structure, operations, and evasion tactics of North Korean proliferation networks. The second, covering nuclear policy more broadly, involves research into: the UK’s nuclear weapons programme and its policies on arms control and deterrence; contemporary stresses on the non-proliferation regime, and UK policy towards it; and the effect of advanced conventional precision-strike capabilities on nuclear stability.
The team conducts a range of engagement activities alongside this research, foremost among which is the UK Project on Nuclear Issues (UK PONI), a cross-generational initiative that connects emerging nuclear scholars and professionals with established experts. Other important components include Track II dialogues, both discreet and public, in which capacity RUSI leads the UK component of the high-level, France/UK/US Trilateral Nuclear Dialogues. Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme experts also train government, military and industry representatives in the UK and overseas on nuclear policy and nuclear technologies, and on best practices for countering proliferation finance.
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Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Dr Matthew Harries
Senior Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Dr Matthew Harries
Senior Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Latest

Dependent Deterrent? US Support for the UK’s New Nuclear Warhead
Commentary, 3 March 2021
Matthew Harries
New revelations about the links between the UK and US nuclear programmes raise as many questions as they provide answers.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, Equipment and Acquisitions, UK, UK Defence
The Biden Presidency: What Role for the UK on Iran?
Commentary, 22 January 2021
Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Darya Dolzikova and Tom Plant
UK and US policy towards Iran has diverged substantially in recent years, and both countries need to work hard to restore their partnership. The UK can do its part through a re-energised agenda on the Iran nuclear file, and towards Middle Eastern security more broadly.
Tags: Iranian Nuclear Pathways, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Integrated Review 2021, United States, Unpacking the MENA, Iran, UK
The UK’s New Nuclear Warhead: Issues for Parliament
Commentary, 11 January 2021
Matthew Harries
The UK’s replacement nuclear warhead programme needs better scrutiny. Here’s what Parliament could do.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Integrated Review 2021, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Project Sandstone Report 8: Our Man in Malaysia: The Ri Jong Chol Files
Other Publications, 14 December 2020
James Byrne and Gary Somerville
Using data extracted from some of Ri Jong Chol's electronic devices, this report highlights the scope and scale of North Korea’s networks abroad and their roles in evading sanctions.
Tags: Project Sandstone, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea
Exploring the Nexus Between Human Rights and Denuclearisation in North Korea
Conference Reports, 9 December 2020
Cristina Varriale
A report on a RUSI workshop convened to assess whether human rights and denuclearisation should be addressed as part of the same policy approach to North Korea.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Limits of New Standards on Assessing WMD Financing Risk
Commentary, 3 December 2020
Darya Dolzikova and Emil Dall
The Financial Action Task Force now requires countries to assess proliferation financing risk, a welcome step in global efforts to counter sanctions evasion by actors such as North Korea. However, the narrow scope of the new requirement may reduce its effectiveness.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages

Dependent Deterrent? US Support for the UK’s New Nuclear Warhead
Commentary, 3 March 2021Matthew Harries
New revelations about the links between the UK and US nuclear programmes raise as many questions as they provide answers.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, Equipment and Acquisitions, UK, UK Defence
The Biden Presidency: What Role for the UK on Iran?
Commentary, 22 January 2021Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Darya Dolzikova and Tom Plant
UK and US policy towards Iran has diverged substantially in recent years, and both countries need to work hard to restore their partnership. The UK can do its part through a re-energised agenda on the Iran nuclear file, and towards Middle Eastern security more broadly.
Iranian Nuclear Pathways, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Integrated Review 2021, United States, Unpacking the MENA, Iran, UK
The UK’s New Nuclear Warhead: Issues for Parliament
Commentary, 11 January 2021Matthew Harries
The UK’s replacement nuclear warhead programme needs better scrutiny. Here’s what Parliament could do.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Integrated Review 2021, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Limits of New Standards on Assessing WMD Financing Risk
Commentary, 3 December 2020Darya Dolzikova and Emil Dall
The Financial Action Task Force now requires countries to assess proliferation financing risk, a welcome step in global efforts to counter sanctions evasion by actors such as North Korea. However, the narrow scope of the new requirement may reduce its effectiveness.
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
No Go for GOCO: The UK Renationalises Its Nuclear Warhead Factory
Commentary, 6 November 2020Tom Plant and Matthew Harries
The UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment is returning to full public ownership. The flaws in the old model were clear, but the change does not guarantee improvement.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK, Defence Management, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages

Project Sandstone Report 8: Our Man in Malaysia: The Ri Jong Chol Files
Other Publications, 14 December 2020James Byrne and Gary Somerville
Using data extracted from some of Ri Jong Chol's electronic devices, this report highlights the scope and scale of North Korea’s networks abroad and their roles in evading sanctions.
Project Sandstone, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Other Publications
Exploring the Nexus Between Human Rights and Denuclearisation in North Korea
Conference Reports, 9 December 2020Cristina Varriale
A report on a RUSI workshop convened to assess whether human rights and denuclearisation should be addressed as part of the same policy approach to North Korea.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Conference Reports
The 2020 UK PONI Papers
Conference Reports, 6 November 2020Edited by Luba Zatsepina and Tom Plant
The 2020 UK PONI Papers examine contemporary civil and military nuclear issues and are written by emerging experts from academia, government and industry who presented at the 2019 UK Project on...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Conference Reports, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology
Beyond the Disarmament Impasse: How Europe Perceives the UK’s Disarmament Verification Efforts
Occasional Papers, 24 September 2020Cristina Varriale
This paper uses survey data to examine the extent to which the UK’s prioritisation of disarmament verification is perceived by the European NPT community to be a valuable contribution to the...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Occasional Papers, UK, Europe
The Southern Stratagem: North Korean Proliferation Financing in Southern and Eastern Africa
Occasional Papers, 24 April 2020Darya Dolzikova and Anagha Joshi
Southern and eastern Africa has been one of the regions targeted by North Korean proliferation financing activities. Measures to address vulnerabilities can reduce countries’ risk exposure to this...
Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Occasional Papers, North Korea, AfricaPages

UK Project On Nuclear Issues 10th Anniversary Annual Conference
Events, 9 June 2020This year marks the 10th anniversary of the UK Project On Nuclear Issues (UK PONI), over which time its Annual Conference has become the premier national forum for emerging scholars and professionals...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Virtual Table Top Exercise - Nuclear Disarmament
Events, 24 April 2020RUSI and UK PONI will be running a virtual nuclear disarmament simulation game for postgraduate students and early- to mid-career nuclear experts.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Roundtable: Project SANDSTONE – using open-source methods to expose North Korea’s illicit smuggling networks
Events, 20 March 2020This event will present and discuss the tools and methods of open-source collection and analysis used by RUSI’s Project SANDSTONE to analyse North Korean illicit smuggling activities.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Lockheed Martin Tour and Writing Workshop
Events, 3 March 2020In the run-up to the 10th UK PONI Annual Conference, Lockheed Martin UK is excited to host delegates from UK PONI at its Ampthill site for a site tour and a workshop on writing conference proposals...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Workshop: Introduction to Nuclear Weapons Policy
Events, 11 February 2020UK Project on Nuclear Issues will host a one-day introductory workshop covering the basics of nuclear weapons policy for early career professionals.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages

The Southern Stratagem: North Korean Proliferation Financing in Southern and Eastern Africa
Multimedia, 15 May 2020North Korea adapts its proliferation financing activities to the particular opportunities available in each of the regions in which it operates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been no different.
Tags: Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Africa, Pacific
The US-Russia Nuclear Treaty Under Threat
Multimedia, 21 October 2018After reports that the USA may with from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director General of the Royal United Services Institute speaks to BBC news...
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, Russia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
The North Korean Nuclear Summit
Multimedia, 9 March 2018Tom Plant, Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI on the proposed nuclear summit between North Korea and the US
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
President Trump's Nuclear Button Tweet
Multimedia, 3 January 2018
The Nuclear Ban Treaty in 2018
Multimedia, 21 December 2017Tom Plant, Director of RUSI's Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme discusses the prospects for the Nuclear Ban treaty in 2018
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Diversity in the UK's Intelligence Agencies
Financing Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism
New UK Government Initiative to Support High-Risk, High-Reward Military Science Needs Refinement