F1IS 5630 - Weapons of Mass Destruction Counter-Proliferation: Interdiction, Deterrence & Defense

The different topics covered during the course are:

History of WMD proliferation and current trends, dynamics of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons programs, delivery means as missiles programs and economy of proliferation (acquisition and supplier networks);

Enforcement of disarmament and impediment of WMD proliferation at international and multinational levels; organization at a national level to prevent the illicit movement of WMD materials and expertise; regional dynamics and counter-proliferation;

Nuclear deterrence and missile defense

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge of the different aspects and approaches of WMD counter-proliferation strategies.

Searching, analyzing, reporting and briefing on related topics (Group work and individually).

Writing a policy paper for high-ranking officials.

Professional Skills:

The proposed methodological course focuses on the skills – analytical, managerial and political – that Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation analysis, counter-proliferation situations management and enforced disarmament positions demand. It mainly develops policies, technologies and operations relevant to real-life cases aimed at disrupting proliferation, current and past. The lens will be both national and international.

Applicants should have a basic knowledge of non-proliferation treaties and export control regimes, as those topics will not be discussed in details during the conferences but are necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the global dynamics of WMD proliferation and counter-proliferation efforts.

There will be qualitative oral live-feedbacks all along the semester and the sessions. The objectives of these feedbacks are individual and collective improvements.

The interactions with the professors are encouraged all along the semester.

There will be no individual quantitative grading for the different production provided before the end of the semester. The objectives of such a policy are fairness and coherence of the whole class grading.

Before each session, a comprehensive presentation (slides on technology, policy, operational aspects) will be forwarded, a few days in advance: it will support discussions and debates during the course and provide professional basic knowledge for future appointments in counter-proliferation. Students will be supposed to have read it carefully before the lecture which will be a summary (key points, clarification as needed) and comments. Students are encouraged to visit dedicated blogs on proliferation and read weekly on news related to WMD proliferation issues.

During this course, all students are expected:

to individually write a policy paper on one of the proposed topics and to provide recommendations for addressing it (25% of final mark);

to individually prepare and deliver a 10 min. briefing on one of the proposed topics (25%);

to contribute to the elaboration of a weekly newsletter and deliver a 10 min briefing on it (20%);

to prepare and develop a strategy during the table-top exercise and interact with other actors and to submit individually a short-written feed-back after the TTX (20%);

to actively participate during the coursework 10%

In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

Online learning activities: none

Reading and Preparation for Class: 0,5 hours a week / 6 hours a semester

Research and Preparation for Group Work: min 10 hours a semester

Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: min 60 hours a semester