Ludovica Castelli, PhD

🗞️Call for Articles: Special Issue on Nuclear Security

@alialkis.bsky.social and I are seeking proposals for a special issue on "Rethinking Nuclear Security in an Era of Renewed Geopolitical Competition and Technological Change."

Deadline: Sept 15, 2025.

And for all the visual drama, the outcomes suggest something more familiar: resilient capability, hardened intent, and a slow weakening of the very architecture designed to contain both.

Meanwhile, the political and normative costs accumulate: erosion of IL, weakening of nonproliferation norms, and the creeping normalisation of preventive force. At some point, we’ll need to ask whether all this performative force is masking a deeper strategic vacuum.

You can damage centrifuges. You can destroy buildings. But no number of GBU-57Bs—or even a sustained air campaign—can eliminate the underlying capacity. And certainly not the intent.

Monitoring becomes harder. Access narrows. Uncertainty grows. A nuclear program is not a static set of facilities or industrial assets—especially in countries where it has been woven into the fabric of national identity over decades.

Worse, these strikes have been tactically short-term and strategically counterproductive. Material, centrifuges, engineering expertise, dual-use infrastructure—none of it vanishes in a fireball. If anything, it gets buried deeper, spread wider, and protected more effectively.

Yet, the most cinematic airstrikes haven’t stopped Iran’s nuclear program. Not even after years of sabotage ops, cyberattacks, and airstrikes. Material, equipment, know-how—possibly undeclared sites—likely all still there. More dispersed, better concealed, and harder to track.

Wish I could relate to the excitement around war porn—but I can’t. Beyond the Tom Clancy spectacle, these attacks are framed as decisive blows: strength demonstrated, deterrence reasserted, technological superiority confirmed. 1/🧵

☢️ How can we protect nuclear facilities? Ludovica Castelli explores the longstanding problem of how to protect nuclear facilities against attack — particularly in light of the war in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East. Until we e...

☢️ #NuclearPoliticsParadox No.10
🏭 @ludovicacast.bsky.social explores the longstanding problem of how to protect #NuclearFacilities against attacks, particularly in light of the #WarInUkraine and rising tensions in the #MiddleEast.
#Israel #Iran
👉 bit.ly/43OBb1j

President Trump’s self-imposed deadline for a new Iran nuclear deal is about to expire, amid growing indications that the negotiations may collapse.

Check out a new #IAICommentary by @ric-alcaro.bsky.social & @ludovicacast.bsky.social ➡️ www.iai.it/en/node/20192

Some key points 🧵

The latest in IR - spring book round up Each quarter we bring you updates on the latest book releases from BISA members.

📚Latest in IR Spring Book round up released by BISA members📚

🌟 Inc: 🌟
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social @springernature.com @oxunipress.bsky.social‬ @andrewfutter.bsky.social‬ @ludovicacast.bsky.social‬ @cameronhunter.bsky.social‬
‪@joedevanny.bsky.social‬

find out more 👉 buff.ly/s7yUWdk

Language, Memory, and the Fragility of US–Iran Nuclear Diplomacy • Stimson Center For Iran, invoking the ‘Libya model’ brings complex dynamics to the forefront as Tehran weighs the risks of trusting and compromising with Western actors.

Language matters in diplomacy—not only as a tool of persuasion, but as a reflection of power asymmetries, historical memory, domestic legitimacy. When it comes to nuclear diplomacy, where power asymmetries are striking, language particularly matters.

My latest for:
www.stimson.org/2025/languag...

🆕 Loop series ☢️ #NuclearPoliticsParadox launched today.
✍🏽 In coming weeks, contributors inc. @megandee.bsky.social @marenvieluf.bsky.social @ludovicacast.bsky.social @susmonika.bsky.social and @carolinapanico.bsky.social will offer perspectives on the nuclear debate
theloop.ecpr.eu/tag/nuclear-...

‘Great.’ US envoy appears to respond to Iran FM tweet Iran will never pursue nukes US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff appeared to respond positively to the tweet by the Iranian diplomat, but later deleted it. The exchange came after an exchange of letters between Trump & Iran.

New: ‘Great.’ US envoy appears to respond to Iran FM tweet asserting Iran will never pursue nukes

open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...

Personal news - Last week, I submitted my PhD thesis and wrapped up 3.5 incredible years with the @ThirdNuclearAge
project.

Today marks my first day as a Research Fellow in the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Programme at @iaionline.bsky.social. Looking forward to this next chapter!

🎉 We're excited to share that the CfA for the Nuclear History Summer Camp 2025 is out!

📅 Sept 6-16, 2025 |📍Hiroshima, Japan
🎓 Open to Ph.D. students, postdocs, and M.A. graduates
💰 Fully funded
📝 Apply by April 15 at wilsoncenter.org/article/call...

FMI 👉nuclearhistorysc@gmail.com

Last Friday, we launched The Global Third Nuclear Age: Clashing Visions for a New Era in International Politics in the historic library of @rusi.bsky.social.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us! If you haven’t already, grab your copy – it’s open access!
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon...

Wrapping up my last formal PhD meeting with my supervisors today—feeling a bit nostalgic, but also incredibly proud of this work.

The targeting of civilian nuclear infrastructure persists. As long as such coercive measures remain permissible and normalized, broader efforts to safeguard nuclear facilities in conflict zones will face significant challenges.

Re-sharing this article co-authored with @olamidediy.bsky.social .
On Feb 13-14, a Russian UAV hit the NSC at #Chornobyl. Meanwhile, Israeli officials continue to discuss strikes on Iran’s #nuclear infrastructure - possibly with US support.

t.co/4OFOZ80itx

Trump firings cause chaos at agency responsible for America's nuclear weapons The National Nuclear Security Administration is a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy that oversees the U.S. stockpile of thousands of nuclear weapons. Officials were given hours to...

Inside a chaotic 48 hours of firings and rehirings at the agency responsible for maintaining the the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Managers were given 200 characters (not words) to justify why staff shouldn't be fired.

www.npr.org/2025/02/14/n...

The Global Third Nuclear Age: Clashing Visions for a New Era in International Politics This book provides an in-depth examination of the technological, geopolitical and normative pressures driving the world into a new, more complex and potentially more dangerous Third Nuclear Age. By ad...

Kicking off using this app w/ a new book! The Global Third Nuclear Age is now out & open access. Co-authored w/ a great team (inc. @andrewfutter.bsky.social @olamidediy.bsky.social @ludovicacast.bsky.social @cameronhunter.bsky.social), w/ a forward by Paul Bracken.
www.routledge.com/The-Global-T...

Excited to share that our new book, "The Global Third Nuclear Age: Clashing Visions for a New Era in International Politics", is now available open access! 🎉 Looking forward to the discussions it sparks!

1. A perplexing essay from @richardmnephew.bsky.social.

He points out the risks inherent to military strikes on Iran's nuclear program and suggests diplomacy is a better path.

But then he notes talks may fail, and argues that "extreme steps" must be considered, including military action...

Ludovica Castelli is an expert on the history of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. In the latest episode of our podcast Researching Peace, Ludovica takes us on a fascinating journey through nuclear politics in the region and offers her take on recent events. 👉
open.spotify.com/episode/6tv2...

Western Assad apologists were some of the worst people online.

Go to bat for authoritarian repression and deliberate violence against civilians, even deny well documented chemical weapons use.

Highlighted anti-war v. reflexively anti-US/West. Tankies. Horseshoe leftists. Tulsi Gabbard. The worst.

Worth recalling how little we know about Syria’s former nuclear weapons effort. Whoever rules Syria next stands to inherit whatever documents the Assad regime retained (and let’s hope that’s all it is) assuming they haven’t been/won’t be destroyed.

“Miracolo!”

Iran to begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges, UN watchdog says Iran will begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges at its two main nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz.

“Iran to begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges, UN watchdog says.” apnews.com/article/iran...

Important context: IAEA said Iran enriching uranium with new centrifuges to 5%, far lower than the 60% it currently does, and far below weapons-grade.

Will Iran Withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty? - War on the Rocks The longstanding shadow conflict between Iran and Israel has entered a new, more dangerous phase of open confrontation. For decades, both nations engaged

Yesterday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi threatened to withdraw from the NPT if the E3 triggers the JCPOA snapback.

What does this mean and what can states do about it? @jamiekwong.bsky.social
and I have some ideas in @warontherocks.bsky.social
warontherocks.com/2024/11/will...