Ben O'Loughlin has been invited to speak at a gathering of nuclear experts being held this week in the US. Three Tweets to Midnight: Social Media, Information Warfare, and Nuclear Stability is organised by the Stanley Foundation and will be held on 18-20 October at Warrenton, Virginia. In the shadow of Trump's tweets about North Korea and Iran, this is an urgent moment to consider how social media can be used to escalate the risk of nuclear weapons use. However, Ben will draw upon his book project on the 2015 Iran deal to show how leaders can use social media to contain risk and threat perceptions and build partnerships based on peaceful intentions. Much debate equates social media's role in politics with disruption and potential destruction. Ben will argue that while these risks cannot be overlooked, we must also look for ways social media can be used for constructive purposes.
Three Tweets to Midnight - O'Loughlin taking part in nuclear policy discussion in US this week
In January 2017 the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved civilisation a minute closer to extinction because one or two unreliable leaders had come to power.