Iran and the Bomb: U.S. Options in the Wake of War

For decades, the United States has sought to constrain Iran’s nuclear program and prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Sanctions, sabotage, strikes, and diplomacy have set back Iran’s nuclear program, but failed to eliminate the threat of proliferation. Now, in the wake of the U.S.-Iran war, Tehran’s technical capability to build nuclear weapons remains intact, while debate intensifies over the value of developing a nuclear deterrent. To confront this shift in proliferation risk, the United States will need a strategy.

On Wednesday, November 18, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project host a public event, “Iran and the Bomb: U.S. Options in the Wake of War,” with Ms. Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association.

This Hot Spot Briefing will trace Iran’s nuclear history, the drivers of its nuclear weapons push prior to 2003, examine the current Iranian debate over weaponization, and discuss U.S. options for reducing the risks posed by Iran’s nuclear program.

Join ISP for our Hot Spot Briefing series where attendees receive a deep dive into a region or country’s history and security-related environment. This event marks ISP's final Hot Spot Briefing for the fall semester and is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided on a first come, first served basis.

• Registration is REQUIRED. Registrants will receive any updates regarding the event.

• Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.

Biography: Ms. Kelsey Davenport is the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, where she focuses on efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. She is one of the leading experts on Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. diplomatic efforts to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. She also analyzes North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and tracks emerging proliferation risks in the Middle East and East Asia.

Ms. Davenport's reports on nonproliferation and nuclear security issues for Arms Control Today and runs the Arms Control Association’s project assessing the effectiveness of multilateral voluntary initiatives that contribute to nonproliferation efforts. She is the co-author of a series of seven reports analyzing the impact of the Nuclear Security Summit process (2010-2016) on efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism and the creator of a newsletter tracking Iranian nuclear developments.

Ms. Davenport's analysis has been quoted in numerous publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, the Associated Press, Le Monde, and The Guardian. She has provided commentary on NPR, CNN, ABC, Fox News, and al-Jazeera and published analysis in outlets such as Just Security, TIME, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Ms. Davenport is a member of the advisory board for the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and serves on the board of directors for the National Committee on North Korea. She joined the Arms Control Association in 2011 as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow. Previously, Ms. Davenport worked at a think tank in Jerusalem researching Middle East security issues, including regional efforts to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

She received a Master of Arts in peace studies from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in international studies and political science from Butler University.