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Analysis & Commentary
Rethinking arms control: A Canadian perspective
November 30, 2020With a global pandemic and a still undecided U.S. election forming a dramatic backdrop, on November 6, the German Foreign Office hosted a virtual conference, “Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control.” This event, combined with an experts’ preparatory workshop on November 5, were used to shine a light on the transformational capabilities of new technologies on both “old” issues of arms control, such as nuclear weapons, and new ones, including autonomous weapons and drone swarms.
Export suspension exposes flaws in Canada’s arms controls
November 30, 2020On October 24, Radio Canada International reported that Canadian-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) had suspended the export of aircraft engines to “countries with unclear usage.” This action followed reports that these engines were being used in Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that Turkey had sent to support Azeri forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Video: The Future of Peace and Conflict: Nuclear Arms, Space and Robotics
September 29, 2020On September 28, Ploughshares Senior Researchers Jessica West and Branka Marijan participated in an online panel on the future of peace and conflict hosted by the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Event description From the invention of the machine-gun, to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, to the use of armed drones, technological advances in war craft have transformed geopolitical rivalries ...
Webinar: Killer robots
Want to learn more about killer robots? Are you in university or high school? Join us for an interactive discussion! Killer robots, or autonomous weapons, are a very real concern for international security. We will discuss the issue of autonomous weapons, where the international discussion stands, Canada’s role and what civil society organizations are doing.
Recent Publications
The risks of hypersonic weapons
December 3, 2020More states are investing in hypersonic weapons capabilities. These weapons have the potential to travel faster and farther than current intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with the added benefit of increased manoeuverability. While not all hype around hypersonic missiles is justified, the pursuit of such capabilities is changing the defence landscape and raising concerns about the future of nonproliferation and arms-control regimes.
The Ploughshares Monitor: Winter 2020
November 26, 2020Volume 41 Issue 4 A quarterly publication of Project Ploughshares Please click on attachment to view document:
Joint Statement on Outer Space
November 25, 2020This statement was drafted on behalf of civil society by Project Ploughshares Senior Researcher Jessica West. Dr. West presented it to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for Disarmament and International Security on October 13, 2020.