CNS Founding Director
[email protected]
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
- CNS and CENESS Convene Second Virtual US-Russia Nuclear Dialogue SeriesTopics 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 EndowmentThe Thérèse Delpech Memorial Award is designated for “an individual who has rendered exceptional service to the nongovernmental nuclear policy community.”
- Masters Students in Dual Degree Program Defend ThesesStudents from Russia, the United States and South Korea presented their final papers as the result of their studies in 2019-2021.
- In Remembrance of Dr. Vartan GregorianCNS observes the passing of Dr. Vartan Gregorian, an extraordinary educator, scholar, and visionary.
- Syria and America’s Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the WorldDr. Hanna Notte hosted two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Joby Warrick for a discussion on his latest book.
- The Third Bomb and How to Prevent ItProspects for a return the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) under the Biden administration against the backdrop of the Abraham Accords.
- Can Shared US–Russian Interests Lead to Joint Action?William C. Potter and Anton Khlopkov in Kommersant.
- CNS Director’s Statement on January 6th EventsWe must not be complacent in the face of existential threats of which, regrettably, the number is growing.
- Happy Holidays and Happy New Year (2020)My CNS colleagues and I wish you a peaceful and joyous New Year.
- Death DustThe little-known story of US and Soviet pursuit of radiological weapons.
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.