BRSL Events

In this research seminar, Dr. Kevin Bustamante will discuss his research on the role of nuclear weapons as international status symbols. Drawing on the sociology of fashion, he develops a theory of status symbol emergence and collapse. Then, using case studies and computational text analysis, he demonstrates that nuclear weapons failed to emerge as a status symbol because of global opposition and divided superpower messaging over the meaning of the bomb.

Dr. Kevin Bustamante, MacArthur Hennessey Fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University

The 2011 meltdown at Fukushima was the worst nuclear power plant disaster in Japan’s history, bringing back painful memories of trauma associated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the aftermaths of Fukushima remain contentious, Japanese political elites have promoted a politics of recovery rather than a discourse of nuclear victimhood. Dr. Polleri examines how this approach, which pushes aside competing visions of recovery, has come to emphasize assurances of minimal radiation-related dangers, repatriation of former evacuees to Fukushima, continued pursuit of nuclear power, and promotion of a resilient mindset in the face of ongoing ecological challenges.

Dr. Maxime Polleri, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Université Laval.

The Berkeley Risk & Security Lab, in partnership with the Japan Society of Northern California, is pleased to announce the inaugural Transpacific Collaboration Forum. This event, supported by the National Association of Japan-America Societies and a coalition of esteemed academic and industry partners, will explore the critical intersections of industry resilience, capacity expansion, and transpacific collaboration in the semiconductor sector. The program will examine Japan’s semiconductor reinvestment efforts and its broader implications for global supply chains and technological innovation. Additional campus partners include the UC-Berkeley Center for Japanese Studies, and the Institute for Business Innovation at the Haas School of Business. 

Speakers and moderators include: Nishikawa Kazumi, Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Henri Richard, Masato Miyake, Kazuhiro Gomi, Jay Goldberg, Jon Metzler.

Dr. Sulgiye Park will discuss her research on North Korea’s production of critical materials for its nuclear weapons program. Combining satellite imagery, geological analysis, and technical assessment, she provides new, open-source intelligence on North Korea’s fissile material and nuclear weapons production capabilities. Her findings contribute to improved forecasting of future nuclear risks.

Dr. Sulgiye Park, Research Scholar, Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University

Dr. Ariel Petrovics will present her recent edited volume on how efforts to reduce nuclear weapons dangers may sometimes wind up exacerbating them. These efforts are considered fundamental to reducing the likelihood of nuclear catastrophe. Yet, no tool is guaranteed to succeed and some may even have unanticipated, counterproductive consequences for international security. In a field fixated on finding solutions, this book instead warns readers not to lose sight of the drivers and often calamitous effects of failed nuclear policies.

Dr. Ariel Petrovics, Visiting Scholar at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Affairs, Research Associate at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.