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Newsletter:  Fall 2004/ Issue 6
Message from the Director

The mission of the Pacific Northwest Center for Global Security is to address the full range of global security issues by probing the impact of economic, social, institutional and environmental conditions that affect regional stability and global security. Our work has a special emphasis on nonproliferation due to its consequence for global security. We address these issues through four key areas of activity: agenda setting policy analysis and research; public outreach; education; and strategic partnerships.

With this issue of the newsletter, we will begin to focus several articles in each issue on an important global security issue that the Center and Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) are working on. This issue has a special segment on nuclear export controls - an area of significant international concern due to the uncovering of a clandestine and extensive nuclear black market centered in Pakistan. The program work in this area began several years ago with both the Department of Energy and State Department, but is now being expanded to several new countries, especially in Asia.

The newsletter also contains articles on the Center’s outreach activity on nonproliferation and weapons of mass destruction with the World Affairs Council, a highlight of which was the visit to Seattle by Dr. Hans Blix in April. The Center’s strategic partnerships with the Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation and the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) are also mentioned. I would like to draw your attention to our joint conference with NBR on “Nuclear Asia” because we will be continuing to work with NBR to expand this work. Most immediately, we will be co-hosting a conference in late September on “Energy Security in Asia”, to help us define the issues of more relevance to USG policy in this area.

Progress in expanding our premier education effort, the Institute for Global and Regional Security, with the Jackson School of International Studies is noted with the introduction of anew technical course on nonproliferation taught by my predecessor, Dr. Jim Fuller.

On May 1, 2004 the Battelle Seattle Research Center, in which the Center for Global Security is located, moved to new quarters in downtown Seattle. The event was marked by a reception in June at which Governor Gary Locke (WA) welcomed Battelle’s renewed committment to the Seattle area.

Finally, I would like to welcome again our new PNNL colleague, Tom Shea, whom you will read about in this issue.

Please let us know if you find the newsletter useful.

Carol Kessler, PNWCGS Director