Verschuren Shares Strategic Insights at 2025 Carnegie Nuclear Policy Conference
Assistant Professor of International Security Sanne Verschuren from Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies was invited to speak at the prestigious 2025 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference held at the Westin DC Downtown on April 21–22, 2025.
Prof. Verschuren participated in a panel discussion titled “An American Iron Dome: Big, Beautiful Blueprint or Bloated Boondoggle?” alongside Jacek Durkalec (staff officer at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium), Robert Soofer (senior fellow in the defense practice of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center and former official in the first Trump administration who worked on the 2019 missile defense review), and moderator Ankit Panda (Stanton senior fellow in the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).
The panel examined the implications of the shifting American approach to homeland missile defense, particularly in the context of the current administration’s plans to establish what was initially called an “Iron Dome for America” but has since been renamed the “Golden Dome for America.”
During the panel, Prof. Verschuren offered insights on strategic stability considerations related to missile defense systems. She highlighted three main concerns: changing rules of engagement in nuclear deterrence, the challenges of defensive versus offensive capabilities, and the potential impact on crisis behavior.
She emphasized that the fundamental challenge with missile defense is that it operates under a different paradigm than traditional nuclear deterrence based on mutually assured destruction.
Prof. Verschuren also discussed the economic and technological challenges of missile defense, pointing out the significant cost imbalance between offensive missiles and defensive interceptors, and highlighted concerns about potential arms race dynamics with limited guardrails.
In addition to her participation on the missile defense panel, Prof. Verschuren served as a mentor during the conference’s mentorship lunch and contributed to a panel about the three-body problem as part of the Young Professional Track.
The Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference is one of the leading global forums for nuclear policy experts, bringing together scholars and practitioners from around the world to discuss critical issues in nuclear security, deterrence, nonproliferation, and arms control.
Photo credit: © Paul Morigi for Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The full video of the missile defense panel is available at:
https://youtu.be/V4A2_7itx44?si=dlREKlpnR6DfLEXB