Middlebury Institute Experts Quoted Extensively on Iran Nuclear Agreement

Media coverage of the recent nuclear agreement with Iran also served as a reminder that the Middlebury Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) includes some of the world’s most renowned experts on nuclear nonproliferation. In the days leading up to and following the July 14 announcement of the agreement, media coverage quoting Institute experts included:

• “Iran nuclear deal: 3 crucial issues to watch for” (Vox, 7/13) quotes Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation program at CNS on the importance of a strong inspections regime.
• “An Iran Nuclear Deal Seems Imminent — And Congress Is Ready to Fight It” (Vice News, 7/13) quotes Lewis on the potential threat of an Israeli airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
• “It’s a Damn Good Deal” declares Lewis in an extensive assessment of the agreement (Foreign Policy, July 14).
• “A historic deal for Iran and the world” (The Conversation, July 14) offers an overview of the agreement and includes a subsection on the scientific side of the deal by CNS Scientist-in-Residence Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress.
• “Middle East Arms Race Will Continue After Iran Nuke Deal: Experts” (NBC News, July 14) quotes both Senior Fellow and Professor Avner Cohen and CNS Senior Research Associate Jessica Varnum on continuing proliferation concerns in the region.
• “‘I would give it an A’: Why nuclear experts love the Iran deal” (Vox, July 15) again quotes Jeffrey Lewis on why he thinks the deal is a good one for the United States and its allies.
• “With Iran threat off the table, Israel should resolve Palestinian issue” (Al-Monitor, July 16), a piece by Al-Monitor columnist Akiva Eldar, quotes Cohen again on the prospects for changes in Israel’s stances on nuclear issues in the region as a result of the agreement.
• “Israel can live with the Iranian nuclear deal, can Netanyahu?” (Haaretz, 7/17) asks Cohen in an opinion piece written for the daily newspaper Haaretz in Israel.
• “Nuclear deal with Iran scrutinized by experts” (Washington Post, 7/17) offers analysis of the deal and comments from experts including Lewis.
• “The Iran nuclear deal… what it means for the region and beyond” (Herald Scotland, 7/18) analyzes the potential ripple effects of the agreement through the region, again quoting Prof. Cohen.
• “Iran Deal Buys Time: Now America’s Real Work Begins” (National Interest, 7/18) is the focus of an opinion piece by Prof. Philipp C. Bleek.
• “Iran nuclear deal 101: five big questions answered” (Christian Science Monitor, 7/22) features comments on the agreement from Laura Rockwood, executive director of the CNS-operated Vienna Center for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.

• “Obscure Particle Could Keep Iran Honest on Its Nuclear Deal” (Wired, 7/23) includes comments from Dalnoki-Veress about antineutrino detection as a means of verification.

The day the agreement was announced, CNS published an advisory detailing the resources and experts it has available to support media coverage of the agreement.

In addition to being the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues, the center provides academic and research support for the Institute’s Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program.