Russia, Ukraine, and the Future of Deterrence

Abstract: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has placed into sharp focus questions related to the future of deterrence. While it may be premature to identify concrete lessons related to what deterrence and strategic stability may look like from a western perspective going forward, some important issues can already be highlighted, and which have direct relevance to current and future decision makers in the US, the UK and the west more broadly. Wyn Bowen will speak about how deterrence has featured in the context of Russia's brutal intervention in Ukraine and seek to shed some light on the repercussions of the war for western thinking about deterrence and strategic stability.

Bio: Prof. Wyn Bowen is currently Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King's College London, a Visiting Scientist with CGSR at LLNL, and a William Penney Fellow of the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment. In August 2022 he stepped down after six years as Head of the School of Security Studies at King's (2016-22). Prior to that he had been Dean of Academic Studies, in the Defence Studies Department of King's based at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College (2014-16) and Director of the King's Centre for Science and Security Studies at King's (2007-2014). Bowen was a reports officer on several missile teams in Iraq with the UN Special Commission (1997-98) and worked as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency on nuclear safeguards issues in the Middle East, North Africa and East Asia (2001-6). He has served on the Royal Society's Advisory Committee on the Scientific Aspects of International Security and was a member of the External Advisory Panel to the UK Secretary of State for Defence for the 2015 UK Strategic Defence and Security Review. Bowen has authored and co-authored books on US security policy, US missile non-proliferation policy, G8 threat reduction, Libya's nuclear programme, Iran's nuclear behavior, and trust in nuclear arms control. His most recent publications have focused on US efforts to coerce the Assad regime on the issue of chemical weapons use.