Learn more about the Center’s flagship program, Transnational Political Networks
Subscribe

How to Achieve Nuclear Disarmament: Europe’s Role in Safeguarding the Future

Event Information

15 October 2025
04:00 – 05:30 Europe/Oslo
Norwegian Nobel Institute (Det Norske Nobelinstitutt) Henrik Ibsens gate 51, 0255 Oslo, Norway

The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures invites you to an upcoming event at the Norwegian Nobel Institute hosted in partnership with ARENA Center for European Studies for a keynote address in Oslo on, “How to Achieve Nuclear Disarmament: Europe’s Role in Safeguarding the Future” featuring Alicia Sanders-Zake, Policy and Research Coordinator at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Support for this event is provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, entitled “Transnational Networks and the Future of Global Order” (PI: Mai’a K. Davis Cross).

Registration: Please register in advance via ARENA’s registration page: https://nettskjema.no/a/arena-nobel#/page/1
More details will also be available soon on the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s event webpage.

Keynote Speaker

Alicia Sanders-Zakre is the Policy and Research Coordinator at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). She directs the campaign’s research and policy development, including on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. Previously, she was a researcher at the Arms Control Association and at the Brookings Institution. She has published over one hundred articles, editorials, and reports on nuclear weapons. She also has provided expert analysis for several newspapers, radio and TV programs, and regularly speaks on expert panels at universities and other international conferences. Alicia holds a B.A. in International Security from Tufts University, a M.A.S in the International Law of Armed Conflict from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, as well as a certificate of completion in International Nuclear Safeguards Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Description

How can one promote peace in times of geopolitical upheaval?

How effective are transnational networks in forging paths towards peace and international cooperation?

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a globe-spanning transnational network of activists. It led the push to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, achieving a major breakthrough in international cooperation. The transnational network’s role in catalysing the prohibition of developing, testing, producing, and acquiring nuclear weapons led to ICAN’s selection for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.  

Today, in a time of geopolitical upheaval, we are witnessing some erosion of the nuclear taboo, with certain countries pushing back on hard-won nuclear non-proliferation norms. In Europe, the war on Ukraine and changing US policies under president Donald Trump have led to discussions on increasing nuclear stockpiles to develop a more independent European nuclear umbrella. Will transnational networks, like ICAN, be able to continue to make progress in promoting peace in the international system despite these challenges?

Agenda Highlights:

  • Welcome Address: Kristian Berg Harpviken, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute
  • Introduction to Carnegie Project: Mai’a Cross, Dean’s Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy, Northeastern University
  • Keynote Address: Alicia Sanders-Zakre
  • Panel Discussion:
    • Marianne Riddervold, Research Professor, ARENA & UC Berkeley (moderator)
    • Alicia Sanders-Zakre, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
    • Daniel Serwer, Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
    • Denise Garcia, Professor of Political Science & International Affairs, Northeastern University

We hope you will join us for this important conversation and the reception that follows.