From the early days of the Cold War to contemporary conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, institutions like the United Nations have struggled to utilize international law to address nuclear threats. Can international law provide guidance and leverage in defining and dealing with such threats? Or does the ambiguity that nearly always surrounds manipulations of nuclear fear make law largely irrelevant?

Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program, the Nautilus Institute, and the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network are publishing four major papers that address these and other questions involved in assessing and responding to nuclear ‘threats.’ From this series, ‘All Options are on the Table’: Assessing the International Legality of Nuclear Threats, by Monique Cormier and Anna Hood, surveys historical cases spanning eight decades and recent developments, showing there is an urgent need to strengthen the relevant international legal frameworks to protect against threats to use nuclear weapons.

Join Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program for a discussion of these findings with the authors, moderated byGeorge Perkovich, and featuring insights from Carrie McDougall, an associate professor at Melbourne Law School, and Paul Davis, a former senior principal researcher and adjunct at RAND.