Global WMD Issues
Our research focuses on regional affairs associated with the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; countering proliferation finance; and broader issues of deterrence, disarmament and arms control.
Our work assesses a broad range of WMD-related issues, with particular focus on North Korea’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capabilities, Russian nuclear strategic culture and the Iranian nuclear programme. Project Sandstone systematically analyses and exposes North Korea’s proliferation networks using open source data-mining and data-fusion techniques. In addition, our Counter-Proliferation Finance project examines ways to disrupt the illicit financial activities of proliferators such as North Korea and proposes practical solutions for the effective implementation of sanctions. Our experts are involved in the high-level France/UK/US trilateral nuclear dialogues and multiple private and public dialogues at both governmental and inter-governmental levels.
Our experts
Andrea Berger
Associate Fellow
M. Elaine Bunn
Senior Associate Fellow
James Byrne
Director, Open-Source Intelligence and Analysis
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Joe Byrne
Research Fellow
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Malcolm Chalmers
Deputy Director-General
Senior Management
Professor David Crouch
Senior Associate Fellow
Emil Dall
Associate Fellow
Catherine Dill
Associate Fellow
Darya Dolzikova​
Research Fellow
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Dan Kaszeta
Associate Fellow
Hamish Macdonald
Associate Fellow
Tom Plant
Senior Associate Fellow
Gary Somerville
Research Fellow
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Cristina Varriale
Associate Fellow
Dr John R. Walker OBE
Senior Associate Fellow
Dr Heather Williams
Associate Fellow
Dr Luba Zatsepina
Former Research Fellow
Related projects
Access related research projects on this topic area.
This project applies research in training key stakeholders to disrupt the illicit financial activities of proliferators such as North Korea and Iran.
RUSI’s project on Iran in the Global Security Context examines developments on the Iranian nuclear issue, their interaction with regional and global security matters, and implications for UK policy.
RUSI is part of a consortium utilising novel research methods and advances in remote sensing technologies to analyse North Korea’s WMD capabilities and inform robust policy recommendations.
RUSI’s Project Sandstone is a new effort to systematically analyse and expose North Korean illicit shipping networks.
The Trilateral Nuclear Dialogues convene current and former senior officials and experts from the US, France and the UK to discuss nuclear policy issues.
Drawing primarily on UK and Russian perspectives, this project analyses UK nuclear weapons policy and explores the conditions for UK participation in multilateral nuclear arms control.
