Nuclear proliferation is one of the key challenges to the stability of the contemporary international system, and the current non-proliferation regime seems increasingly unable to meet the expectations of its designers. Since the signature of the Non Proliferation Treaty in 1968, nuclear powers have barely fulfilled their commitments to reduce their atomic arsenals, while the number of non-nuclear countries that have crossed the threshold status and are now regarded as full-fledged atomic powers has increased and threatens to keep growing.

We firmly believe that a deeper understanding of the political and psychological roots of nuclear proliferation can only be achieved through a strong interdisciplinary effort, combining the skills and expertise of scholars from highly different fields. Consistent and reliable results in the field of non-proliferation can be reached only with the contribution and collaboration of specialists from many disciplines – such as history of science, political science, international history, sociology, and economics.

We hope this workshop will provide a useful contribution in this direction. Key contemporary issues will be analysed during the workshop, such as the dual use of nuclear technology and the costs of nuclear weapons programs, the regional dimensions of contemporary proliferation (namely the Pacific Region and the Middle East) and the current disarmament programs (ranging from US and Russian disarmament policies to the ambiguities of Franco-British nuclear cooperation within the EU).