CNS Founding Director
wpotter@miis.edu
Monterey, CA
831.647.3511
Activities
- Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Professor
of Nonproliferation Studies - Founding Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS)
- Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Areas of Research
- Nuclear terrorism
- Forecasting proliferation developments
- US-Russian relations
- NPT review process
- NAM nuclear politics
Background
Dr. William Potter has served as a consultant to the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the RAND Corporation, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
He has been a member of several committees of the National Academy of Sciences, including its Nonproliferation Panel.
He served for five years on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and the Board of Trustees of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.
He has participated as a delegate at every NPT Review Conference and Preparatory Committee meeting since 1995.
CNS Work
- The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty – a View from Washington
EVENT July 21, 2022: William Potter will moderate a major live-streamed NPT event with Amb. Adam Scheinman for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. - NPT Diplomats Meet in Annecy 2022
Over 60 senior diplomats, officials, and experts met for the traditional CNS NPT Diplomatic Workshop on “The 10th NPT Review Conference: Prospects and Pitfalls.” - Russian Misinformation About Ukrainian Radiological Weapons Capabilities and Intentions
A flurry of unsubstantiated and intentionally misleading allegations began prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and continue to this date. - The Fallout from Russia’s Attack on Ukrainian Nuclear Facilities
Why have these civilian nuclear facilities been the object of attack, and what are the likely consequences of this high-risk military action by Moscow? - Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2022
My CNS colleagues and I wish you a peaceful and joyous New Year. - (Final) Preparations for the Tenth NPT Review Conference
Delegates to the 10th NPT Review Conference had the opportunity to interact with each other and with representatives from civil society on a number of key issues related to the Conference and its outcome. - Setting the Tone for the 10th NPT Review Conference: A Working Lunch in New York
CNS organized, in consultation with the President-designate of the 10th Review Conference and the Office of Disarmament Affairs, a high-level consultative working lunch. - End of an Era: The United States, Russia, and Nuclear Nonproliferation
US-Russian cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation: Will shared interests prevail or fall victim to rivalry and mistrust? - CNS and CENESS Convene Second Virtual US-Russia Nuclear Dialogue Series
Topics included the strategic stability dialogue process, US-Russian cooperation within the nuclear nonproliferation regime, and regional nonproliferation challenges. - Dr. William Potter, CNS Founder and Champion of Nonproliferation Education, Receives Award from Carnegie Endowment
The Thérèse Delpech Memorial Award is designated for “an individual who has rendered exceptional service to the nongovernmental nuclear policy community.”
Bibliography
Books
- End of an Era: The United States, Russia, and Nuclear Nonproliferation (2021), co-authored with Sarah Bidgood
- Nuclear Politics and the Non-Aligned Movement (2012)
- The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism (2005)
- Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Options for Control (2000)
- Nuclear Profiles of the Soviet Successor States (1993)
- Soviet Decisionmaking for Chernobyl: An Analysis of System Performance and Policy Change (1990)
- Nuclear Power and Nonproliferation: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (1982)
Editor
- Verification and SALT: The Challenge of Strategic Deception (1980)
- Verification and Arms Control (1985), and International Nuclear Trade and Nonproliferation (1990)
Co-Editor
- Once and Future Partners: The United States, Russia, and Nuclear Non-proliferation (2018)
- Preventing Black-Market Trade in Nuclear Technology (2018)
- Forecasting Nuclear Nonproliferation in the 21st Century (2 volumes, 2010)
- Engaging China and Russia on Nuclear Disarmament (2009)
- The Global Politics of Combating Nuclear Terrorism: A Supply Side Approach (2009)
- Dangerous Weapons, Desperate States (1999)
- Dismantling the Cold War: U.S. and NIS Perspectives on the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (1997)
- Soviet Decisionmaking for National Security (1984)
- The Nuclear Suppliers and Nonproliferation (1985
- Continuity and Change in Soviet-East European Relations (1989)
- International Missile Bazaar: The New Suppliers’ Network (1994)
Dr. Potter has contributed chapters and articles to over 130 scholarly books and journals.
