GSYP

To be, or not to WMD?

Nuclear issues don’t need to be rocket science… well, at least not all of them.

Welcome to CBRN 101!

Trying to learn more about chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear issues shouldn’t be that difficult.

On this website, you’ll find a collection of great resources to learn what you need to get started.

Have a look around!

Online Short Courses

Looking for some guidance on how to navigate the field, or put your knowledge to the test? Need some certificates to add to your CV?

We hear you.

From nuclear energy and safeguards, to broader disarmament and arms control initiatives, these free eLearning Courses cover a wide array of topics.

… and between international organisations, think tanks and academic institutions, have your pick of what suits your interests the best.

International Organisations

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (EUNPDC) eLearning Course covers key aspects of the EU’s non-proliferation and disarmament agenda, with a focus on arms control, non-proliferation, and the disarmament of both conventional and unconventional weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hosts a Learning Management System with a primary focus on nuclear safety and security, nuclear technology and applications, as well as safeguards and verification.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) provides eLearning courses at various proficiency levels, on themes ranging from basics of disarmament to gender and humanitarian dimensions, as well as emerging technologies.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) offers a variety of research and materials, including tutorials on CBRN security, nuclear testing and international treaties, delivery systems, or even the U.S. nuclear budget.

The PIR Center is a Russian NGO, providing an online short course on the pillars of the nonproliferation regime.

The Stimson Center South Asia Program‘s Strategic Learning initiative has developed a course on Missile Technology in South Asia, exploring missile types, arsenals and missile defense systems across China, India, and Pakistan.

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) also offer a short course on nuclear weapons and technology, their international regulation and monitoring.

Datasets & Simulations

So, you passed that honeymoon phase of learning about those big CBRN issues. What can be done to keep the neutrinos flying?

a) Crunch the numbers yourself

b) Or – in case you are a visual learner – look at some explosions!

From scientific articles to PC games, why not try out something new?

Datasets

Philipp C. Bleek, “When Did (and Didn’t) States Proliferate? Chronicling the Spread of Nuclear Weapons,” Discussion Paper (Cambridge, MA: Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA., June 2017).

Fuhrmann, Matthew. “Spreading Temptation: Proliferation and Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreements.” International Security 34, no. 1 (2009): 7–41.

Fuhrmann, Matthew. Atomic Assistance: How “Atoms for Peace” Programs Cause Nuclear Insecurity. Cornell University Press, 2012.

Fuhrmann, Matthew, and Benjamin Tkach. “Almost Nuclear: Introducing the Nuclear Latency Dataset.” Conflict Management and Peace Science 32, no. 4 (2015): 443–61.

Horowitz, Michael C., and Neil Narang. “Poor Man’s Atomic Bomb? Exploring the Relationship between ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction.’” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 58, no. 3 (2014): 509–35.

Jo, Dong-Joon, and Erik Gartzke. “Determinants of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation.” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 51, no. 1 (2007): 167–94.

Kroenig, Matthew. “Importing the Bomb: Sensitive Nuclear Assistance and Nuclear Proliferation.” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 53, no. 2 (2009): 161–80.

Sonali Singh, and Christopher R. Way. “The Correlates of Nuclear Proliferation: A Quantitative Test.” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 48, no. 6 (2004): 859–85.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Nuclear Notebook, Federation of American Scientists.

Early, Bryan R. “Exploring the Final Frontier: An Empirical Analysis of Global Civil Space Proliferation.” International Studies Quarterly 58, no. 1 (2014): 55–67.

Femia, Francesco, and Andrew Weber. Ending Tactical Nuclear Weapons: A Brief History and a Path Forward. Nolan Center Report, 2023.

Gannon, J Andrés. “Planes, Trains, and Armored Mobiles: Introducing a Dataset of the Global Distribution of Military Capabilities (rDMC).” International Studies Quarterly 67(4) (2023): 1-12.

Gartzke, Erik, Jeffrey M. Kaplow, and Rupal N. Mehta. “The Determinants of Nuclear Force Structure.” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 58, no. 3 (2014): 481–508.

Bell, M. S., & Miller, N. L. (2013). Questioning the Effect of Nuclear Weapons on Conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 59(1), 74-92. 

Fuhrmann, M., & Kreps, S. E. (2010). Targeting Nuclear Programs in War and Peace: A Quantitative Empirical Analysis, 1941-2000. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 54(6), 831-859.

Gartzke, Erik, and Matthew Kroenig. Nukes with Numbers: Empirical Research on the Consequences of Nuclear Weapons for International Conflict. Annual Review of Political Science 19, (2019): 397-412.

Kroenig, Matthew. Nuclear Superiority and the Balance of Resolve: Explaining Nuclear Crisis Outcomes. International Organization 67, no. 1 (2013): 141–71.

Sechser, Todd S., and Matthew Fuhrmann. Nuclear Weapons and Coercive Diplomacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Baron, Jonathon, Rebecca Davis Gibbons, and Stephen Herzog. 2020. “Japanese Public Opinion, Political Persuasion, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament 3 (2): 299–309.

Rosendorf, Ondrej, Michal Smetana, and Marek Vranka. 2021. “Disarming Arguments: Public Opinion and Nuclear Abolition.” Survival 63 (6): 183–200. doi:10.1080/00396338.2021.2006454.

Joshua A. Schwartz; When Foreign Countries Push the Button. International Security 2024; 48 (4): 47–86.

Smetana, M., Vranka, M., & Rosendorf, O. (2022). The lesser evil? Experimental evidence on the strength of nuclear and chemical weapon “taboos”. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 40(1), 3-21.

Kadyshev, Timur, and Moritz Kütt. 2024. “Analyzing the Utility of Arrow 3 for European Missile Defense Using Footprint Calculations.” Science & Global Security 32 (1–3): 174–218.

Slitherine’s …

  • ICBM (€) is a strategy game of nuclear warfare, where you research technologies, expand your arsenal, and launch strikes while defending your cities.
  • Nuclear War Simulator (€) models large-scale nuclear conflicts, letting you design scenarios and assess humanitarian impacts.


Alex Wellerstein’s …

  • MISSILEMAP is designed to make it easy to see the relationship between missile range, accuracy, and warhead size. 
  • NUKEMAP allows users to simulate crater size, radioactive fallout plumes, casualties and other consequences of blasts of nuclear bombs.

Other Resources

Not the resources you were looking for? 

Well, we are not the first to have compiled these lists. So how about having a go at these links over here?

More Compilations!

What Next?

Check out our Literature Recommendations, join our Nuclear Reading Club or contact one of our Project Coordinators!

Keep Reading!