Jane Vaynman, "Enemies in Agreement: Political Volatility and the Design of Arms Control" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
About this episode
The episode discusses the dynamics of arms control agreements amid political volatility, featuring insights from Jane Vaynman's research.
Why do adversaries sometimes cooperate to restrain their military competition? Why do they design arms control agreements with intrusive verification in some cases but rely on minimal transparency in others? Amidst ongoing international competition, arms control remains rare despite potential mutual benefits, and agreements vary dramatically in their approaches to monitoring. Enemies in Agreement: Political Volatility and the Design of Arms Control (Cambridge UP, 2026) reveals how uncertainty from domestic political changes, such as leadership transitions or social unrest, can enable arms control. The book identifies two paths to agreement: during periods of uncertainty, states that previously relied on informal understandings hedge by establishing lightly monitored agreements, while those that anticipated deception take calculated risks through agreements with intensive verification. Through comprehensive data analysis and rich case studies, Jane Vaynman challenges conventional wisdom about uncertainty in international relations while offering policymakers insights. As states confront challenges from nuclear competition to emerging technologies, understanding when arms control…
People in this episode
Host: Eleonora Mattiacci
Guest: Jane Vaynman
Topics covered
- arms control
- political volatility
- international relations
- military competition
- verification
- policy insights
Keywords
- arms control
- political changes
- verification
- international competition
- military agreements
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Johns Hopkins University, Cambridge UP
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