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Nuclear Threats and the Limits of International Law
Mon, February 23rd, 2026
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (EST)
Live Online
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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.
Events in this Series
Bluff or Death? How to Assess Nuclear “Threats”
February 5, 2026
Nuclear Flashpoint? How Pakistan and India Manage Escalation
February 12, 2026
Nuclear Threats and the Limits of International Law
February 23, 2026
These events are presented in partnership with the Nautilus Institute and the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Event Speakers
Anna Hood
Associate Professor, University of Auckland
Anna Hood is an associate professor at the University of Auckland. She is a public international law academic whose research focuses primarily on international disarmament law, international law and security, and the intersection between depth psychology and international law.
Monique Cormier
Associate Professor, Monash University
Monique Cormier is an associate professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She researches and teaches public international law, with a focus on the international law of nuclear nonproliferation and international criminal jurisdiction.
Carrie McDougall
Associate Professor, Melbourne Law School
Carrie McDougall is an associate professor at Melbourne Law School. She previously served as the Legal Adviser at Australia’s Mission to the United Nations in New York. She specializes in the use of force, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law.
Paul Davis
Adjunct Principal Researcher, RAND
Paul Davis is a retired senior principal researcher and adjunct at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. Before joining RAND, he was a senior executive in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
George Perkovich
Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Senior Fellow
George Perkovich is the Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons and a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program. He works primarily on nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation, and disarmament issues, and is leading a study on nuclear signaling in the 21st century.