In this episode of Peace Matters, we examine the global nuclear order in 2026, as growing geopolitical tensions, renewed reliance on nuclear deterrence, and weakening arms-control frameworks raise questions about whether the world is entering a new nuclear age. We explore the state of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and whether its fundamental bargain between nuclear and non-nuclear states can still hold.

We discuss the major challenges facing non-proliferation, including the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations, and the possibility of a wider proliferation domino effect. Could more states begin to view nuclear weapons as essential to their security? And can international institutions still effectively constrain states under pressure and preserve the credibility of global non-proliferation?

Correction: In the podcast, Angela Kane mistakenly refers to the JCPOA as having been concluded in 2017 and to Donald Trump withdrawing from it in 2015. The dates were reversed: the JCPOA was concluded in 2015, while the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018.

Guest:

Angela Kane is the Vice President of the International Institute for Peace (IIP). She is a former senior United Nations diplomat with over 35 years of deep experience in political affairs. She served in New York, as well as in field missions in Ethiopia-Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia and Thailand. She is Professor at Schwarzman/Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Po). Until August 2024, she worked as a Senior Adviser to the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, focusing on catastrophic global risks. She is Senior Fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Additional functions include Senior Network Member of the European Leadership Network, and Director of the Board of the Partnership on AI. She sits on a number of non-profit boards in Europe, the United States and Asia, focusing inter alia on geopolitical developments, arms control, and the effects of technology, especially artificial intelligence.

Accompanied by:

Gjergj Loka, Project Coordinator at the IIP.

This episode was recorded on 10 September 2026.