MainPIR Press News№ 29 (87), 2025. PIR Center recalls memorable moments from the history of dual-degree MA program “Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation”
№ 29 (87), 2025. PIR Center recalls memorable moments from the history of dual-degree MA program “Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation”
MOSCOW. AUGUST 8, 2025. PIR PRESS. «I sometimes think that only two things have survived in bilateral Russian-American relations: cooperation in space and our master’s program. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is not by much. The program began 12 years ago when Albert Zulkharneev first shared the idea of creating it with me. After working out the details with Anatoly Torkunov in Moscow and William Potter in Monterey, we signed in Montreux, Switzerland, in October 2014. a memorandum of understanding between the PIR Center, MGIMO, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. The first admission was in the Autumn of 2016. Since that time, seven cohorts of students have graduated from the program. The full history of this master’s program has yet to be written.…», – Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center, Academic Director of MA Program Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation.
PIR Center is summarizing the achievements of the dual-degree master’s program Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation which has been running since 2016. To date, 53 students from Russia, the United States, Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, China, France, and South Korea have graduated from the program. Among them: Mr. Adlan Margoev (Russia), Mr. Nоаh Mayhew (USA), Mr. Alain Ponce (Mexico), Ms. Alicia Rorabaugh (USA), Ms. Daria Selezneva (Russia), Ms. Natalia Artemenkova (Russia), Ms. Veronika Bedenko (Russia), Ms. Sara Marchert (USA), Ms. Annelise Plooster (USA), Mr. William Szymansky (USA), Mr. Yueh Yaun (China), Ms, Ellie Bedford (USA),Mr. Ryan Jacobsen (Canada),Ms. Alina Kazakovtceva (Russia), Casey Caruso (USA), Ms. Yekaterina Klepanchuk (USA), Mr. Taylor Lamoureaux (USA), Ms. Mara Ortiz (Spain), Mr. Aleksey Polyakov (Russia), Ms. Angela Skittone (USA), Mr. Jeremy Faust (USA), Mr. Tom Hickey (Ireland), Mr. Vladislav Chernavskikh (Russia), Ms. Erica Barbarossa (USA), Mr. Nikita Degtyarev (Russia),Patrick McDowell (USA), Ms. Anne Owen (USA), Ms. Inna Rodina (Russia), Mr. Sergey Semenov (Russia), Mr. Dong Suk Yoo (South Korea), Mr. Chase LeMay (USA), Ms. Sarah Erickson (USA), Alexandra Аladko (USA), Mr. Chon Kendall (USA), Ms. Daria Kheyrie (Russia), Ms. Rebecca Pantani (Italy), Ms. Galina Salnikova (Russia), Ms. Océane Van Geluwe (France), Mr. Spencer Erjavic (USA); Mr. Linus Höller (Austria); Ms. Jessica Martin (USA & Brazil); Ms. Grace Smith (USA); Ms. Aleksandra Zubenko (Russia) and others.
Trilateral memorandum of understanding between MGIMO University, PIR Center and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, which laid the foundation for implementation Dual Degree MA Program “Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation”
Today, we are not saying goodbye to this master’s program; rather, we are recalling its memorable moments. Mr. Albert Zulkharneev, the current Head of the Russian House in Bishkek and the former Director (2015-2019) of PIR Center, was at the origin of the dual-degree Master’s program Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation looks back with warm memories: “We conceived the master’s program to embody the best of domestic experience and international cooperation in nonproliferation and education. In many ways, we succeeded. Wonderful students; meetings with founders of the nonproliferation system, such as Hans Blix and Roland Timerbaev; lectures and seminars by experts in their fields; significant scientific and applied projects; and student participation in a half-track program, making it a 2.5-track program. Students also complete internships in their capitals and at the UN, IAEA, and other centers. Students received academic guidance from Vladimir Orlov and William Potter, two of the best in nonproliferation education. The fact that the program took place during a period of world crises — both pandemic and political — added interest and motivation. A future international relations specialists are not chickens being raised in an incubator, ready to enjoy the delights of working in international organizations. Rather, they are hardened individuals who can defend their country’s interests in different conditions and work to ensure peace and security in the world. All the best has been preserved and will continue to bear useful fruit.”
It is too early today to sum up the full outcomes of the Master’s program because the most recent graduates left in June 2025, and the first students fully entered adulthood only in 2018. Nevertheless, many of them have already achieved significant results in their early careers, and they now apply their knowledge by working in international organizations, civil service, science, private business, and other structures.
Mr. Dong Suk Yoo (South Korea), who graduated the MA Program in 2021, shared his impressions of on studying at MA Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation: “The MA program marked the beginning of my new career. It was an ideal fit for me. During and after the program, I made the decision to devote my career to nonproliferation issues. I was not alone in this. Nearly all of us remained in the field, continuing to support one another as we navigate our careers. Now more than ever, nonproliferation issues are becoming a central part of international security due to the rapidly changing dynamics of the global environment, and their importance will only grow in the future. It’s deeply disappointing that now there will be no new nonproliferation specialists emerging from this program at a time when we so direly need more. I sincerely hope it will be revived under the right circumstances in the future.”
Ms. Sarah Erickson (USA), who graduated the MA Program in 2022 and who is now a Project Coordinator Space Security & WMD Programs at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research assesses the significance of the MA Program in her life: “The dual degree program was unlike any other educational experience I have had in my life. I was able to learn from world renowned U.S. and Russian practitioners of arms control and disarmament negotiation, in a true cultural exchange. This program gave me a foundational neutrality and willingness to understand first before coming to judgements. It is disheartening to see the end of this program, as it embodied the very spirit of cooperation we need now more than ever. I hope that legacy continues to grow and that the CNS-PIR Center partnership keeps giving students a window into the security concerns of others, helping build more empathetic diplomacy and a more connected world.”
The Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation program is unique in that its graduates receive two diplomas upon completion and because of its rich educational program. The curriculum includes the International Timerbaev Nuclear Debates, meetings at the Russian Foreign Ministry with Sergey Ryabkov on nonproliferation issues, dialogues on arms control in Monterey with Anatoly Antonov, and conversations at MGIMO University with Sergey Kislyak on the prospects for Russian-American relations.
“Having the opportunity to meet Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was an honor and a pleasure. He openly expressed his concerns on the future obstacles of Russian Foreign Policy and answered our questions about arms control and the international nonproliferation and disarmament regime. This meeting allowed me to broaden my understanding of today’s world situation above my Italian and European perspectives. It was even more stimulating than I imagined,” Ms. Rebecca Pantani (Italy), student of the Dual Degree MA Program, remarked with admiration, after visiting Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Prof. Anatoly Torkunov and Dr. Anna Vassilieva signing of the trilateral memorandum of understanding between MGIMO University, PIR Center and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Montreux, Switzerland. October 2014Dr. Vladimir Orlov and Prof. William Potter with the students of MA Program after the seminar within track 2.5. Geneva, 2017Mr. Alexey Polyakov, Mr. Adlan Margoev, Mr. Vladislav Chernavskikh. At the UN office. Geneva, Switzerland, 2018Mr, Adlan Margoev, Ms. Summer Gary, Mr. Noah Mayhew, Ms. Daria Selezneva. Geneva, Switzerland, 2018Mr. Albert Zulkharneev (2015-2019 PIR Center Director) with students of the master’s program “Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation” at the UN headquarters. USA, New York, 2019Visit of students to the State Duma. Moscow. November 2019Meeting of students of the master’s program “Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation. Moscow. September 2021Students meeting with Russian Ambassador to the United States H.E. Anatoly Antonov. Monterey, California, USA. November, 2022VII International Timerbaev Nuclear Debates on the topic “Do we really need to resume nuclear tests, and will it really harm nuclear nonproliferation regime?”. The assertion team was represented by students Mr. Spencer Herjavec and Ms. Jessica Martin. Ms. Sarah Erickson, graduate of the 5th cohort, served as the team’s mentor. Russia, and the United States. December, 2023Mr. Linus Benjamin Höller and Ms. Jessica Martin. Graduation ceremony at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, May 2025
Several students took advantage of another opportunity provided by PIR Center during the education and prepared their own research for PIR Center’s Security Index occasional papers or reports. Topics raised by the students included NATO’s nuclear sharing, arms control in the dialogue between Russia and the United States, the Iranian nuclear program, the role of nuclear weapons in France’s contemporary strategic culture, the IAEA safeguards system, the financing of terrorism in the North Caucasus, etc.
The dotted line in the history of the Master’s degree program is drawn by Prof. Jeffrey Knopf Professor and Chair of the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS): “June 2025, the five students in the final cohort of the dual degree successfully defended their master’s theses and will graduate with diplomas from both MGIMO and MIIS. It was a moment of celebration for the accomplishments of all the students who participated in the dual degree as well as sadness at the apparent end of the program. At MIIS, we are grateful for the opportunity we had to work with our colleagues at MGIMO and PIR Center. In the future, if the many students who completed the dual degree are able to take advantage of the connections they forged to reduce the dangers posed by nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, the program will have fulfilled its promise.”
Andrey Baykov, MGIMO University Vice-Rector for Science and Research recognizes the importance of the Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation MA program as a bridge for cooperation between Russia and the United States. He notes that programs like the MGIMO, PIR Center, and Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey “have the potential to promote political rapprochement and prevent the interruption of dialogue. These programs rise a new generation of professionals who know each other personally and understand each other’s problems. They are prepared to communicate in various situations, including crises.”
Today we wish our graduates achieving all their goals on their life path. And while they are realizing themselves, let us recall the most memorable moments in the history of the dual-degree master’s program Global Security, Nuclear Policy, and WMD Nonproliferation.
