Sarah Bidgood is a leading nuclear nonproliferation expert and Director of the Eurasian nonproliferation program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. As a specialist in US-Russia cooperation in nuclear security, she has written books, appeared on news outlets such as CNN, and presented her research at the United Nations in Geneva. In this conversation, Sarah and Payson talk about why the US-Russia rivalry is still so contentious decades after the Cold War, the advantages to working at a think tank rather than in a government position, why some countries are racing to arm themselves with nuclear weapons while others voluntarily renounce theirs, and what the best case scenario is for denuclearization in a world that has already seen destruction on a mass scale from atomic bombs. They also talk about why the “us vs. them” mentality in relation to our supposed adversaries is no longer relevant in today’s world, and why it’s in America’s best interest to denuclearize in spite of its desire to retain its global standing. Making a cameo appearance in the interview is Sarah’s husband and mountain bike mechanic Brad Copeland, who jumps in to ask a few of his own questions, and Payson asks for Sarah’s opinion of professional sports. Sarah is speaking in her own individual capacity in this interview.
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