Month: June 2026

Mariia Vladymyrova attends Kiel International Seapower Symposium

On 18–19 June, Mariia attended the Kiel International Seapower Symposium, “How to Defend Europe at the Northern Flank,” and contributed her insights into Russian deterrence activities at sea during the post-conference workshop. She introduced participants to the key findings of her ongoing research on the repertoire of Russian coercive tactics in the grey zone. In particular, her study of Russian lawfare in the High North spoke directly to one of the central questions the symposium posed: what is the opponent seeking to achieve?
The understanding of Russian seapower in the High North too often begins with an assessment of Western vulnerabilities. Yet legal frameworks can serve as early indicators of Russian strategic priorities and adaptation. Mariia urged workshop participants not to overlook their coercive dimension. A state’s legal practices, domestically and internationally, remain an important site deterrence signaling, and therefore should be embedded in NATO’s threat assessments accordingly.

 

Thomas Fraise auditioned on nuclear deterrence by the Sénat

On June 16th, Thomas Fraise was auditioned alongside Benoît Pélopidas (Nuclear Knowledges, Sciences Po) and Sébastien Phillipe (University of Wisconsin) by the Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Armed Forces of the Sénat (France’s upper chamber). The audition was part of an information mission on French nuclear deterrence.

The discussion focused on the role that Parliament can play in shaping and overseeing nuclear weapons policy, as well as broader questions related to France’s nuclear doctrine of forward deterrence, force structure, the European security context, transparency, democratic accountability, and the consequences of nuclear weapons use. It also delved into issues related to the future of French defence policy under climate duress.

Thomas Fraise at the European Security Studies Conference in Stockholm

On June 11th, Thomas Fraise was present at the European Security Studies Conference in Stockholm. He organized and discussed a panel on “The politics of deterrence in Europe” with contributions from July DeCarpentrie (Swedish Defence University), Matthew Evangelista (Cornell University), Benoît Pelopidas (Nuclear Knowledges, Sciences Po), and Emma Rosengren (Stockholm University). The conference was organized by the European Initiative for Security Studies (EISS).

Panel program:

  • Emma Rosengren (Stockholm University): Reconceptualizing nuclear deterrence and national identity: the cases of Finland and Sweden (paper prepared with and Tapio Juntunen)
  •  Matthew Evangelista (Cornell University): Ritual deterrence, magic strategies, and nuclear war in Europe
  • Benoît Pelopidas (Sciences Po): Nuclear Futures, Utopias, and the Case for a Renewed ‘Strict Sufficiency’
  • July Decarpentrie (Swedish Defence University): Plus ca Change: Continuity in the French Nuclear Approach.

    From left to right: July DeCarpentrie, Emma Rosengren, Thomas Fraise, Benoît Pelopidas, Matthew Evangelista

Thomas Fraise and Cameron Hunter at the 2026 BISA Conference in Brighton

Thomas Fraise and Cameron Hunter recently attended the 2026 annual conference of the British International Studies Association in Brighton. They organized a panel on “The elite politics of deterrence” with Sterre van Buuren (University of Glasgow) and Shivani Singh (O.P. Jindal Global University). At this panel, Cameron Hunter presented his research on US-China interaction ritual chains of deterrence, and Thomas Fraise on ontological security and the ritualization of NATO extended nuclear deterrence.

Under the auspices of BISA’s Global Nuclear Order panels, Dr. Hunter also presented his work on “The International Doomsday Machine”, conceptualizing global nuclear arsenals as a single large technical system. Dr. Fraise, for his part, presented his book project on nuclear secrecy in democratic states.

From left to right: Thomas Fraise, Sterre van Buuren, Cameron Hunter, and Shivani Singh