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Past Events 2023–24

Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” vision is being tested. This is how we respond.

On April 3, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delivered a keynote address to law students.

A little more than 70 years ago, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his famous Atoms for Peace speech before the UN General Assembly, urging the international community to use nuclear fission for the betterment of the world rather than to fuel more destructive wars. The system built on the foundations of Eisenhower’s vision, which includes the International Atomic Energy Agency, has helped limit drastically the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The vast majority of countries regularly reaffirm their commitment to non-proliferation, and some that had in the past harbored an illegal nuclear weapons programs have come back into the fold.

But the system is being tested, more today than it has for at least a decade. North Korea continues its illegal nuclear weapons program and Iran has enriched a significant amount of uranium to almost weapon grade. Meanwhile, countries so far in good standing with the Non-Proliferation Treaty have openly considered the option of acquiring a nuclear weapon and leaders in other countries have even openly discussed the potential of nuclear weapons used in a war.

In laying out these challenges and how to address them, the IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi pointed to the importance not only of nuclear safeguards but also of fulfilling the other side of the “Atoms for Peace” bargain: the global expansion of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.

A Book Discussion with Michael Kimmage Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability”

On April 2, Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at the Catholic University of America, engaged in a discussion on his new book, Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability. Along with Collisions, Kimmage is the author of several books on Cold War and twentieth-century U.S. history, and he has written frequently on international affairs. From 2014 to 2016, he served on the Secretary's Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State. He is a senior non-resident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

 

 

 

 

The Yale Journal of International Law’s 50th Anniversary Conference: Celebrating the Work of W. Michael Reisman

On March 8, the Yale Journal of International Law held its 50th Anniversary Conference: Celebrating the Work of W. Michael Reisman at Yale Law School. The conference brought together leading voices in international law, including many who have been close with Michael over the years. 

We were delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate Michael’s extraordinary achievements in the field of international law during his 58 years on the Yale Law School faculty as we commemorated the golden anniversary of YJIL.

 

 

 

 

 

A Conversation with David Cohen, United States Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

On February 8, the Yale Law School Center for Global Legal Challenges held an informal lunch discussion with Deputy CIA Director David Cohen, moderated by Professor Oona Hathaway, Gerard and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law and Director, Center for Global Legal Challenges.

Past Events 2023-24