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The Arms Control Poseur

The future of the North Korean UN Sanctions Regime with Dr Aaron Arnold

Season 3, Ep. 1

In the first episode of season 3, podcast host Wolf-Christian Paes is joined by Dr Aaron Arnold to discuss the future of the North Korean UN Sanctions Regime. 

As the regime continues its nuclear ambitions and tests the patience of the international community, we examine how effective the current sanctions are, what changes could be on the horizon, and how global powers like the U.S., China and Russia are influencing the future of these measures. This episode provides a nuanced analysis of the diplomatic and strategic challenges shaping the North Korean sanctions regime and its impact on global security.


This episode's guest: Dr Aaron Arnold is a Senior Associate Fellow with the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), where his work focuses on sanctions and proliferation financing.


This episode's host: Wolf-Christian Paes is a Senior Fellow for Armed Conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Wolf-Christian is part of the Conflict, Security and Development Programme, where he leads a project on the effectiveness of non-military conflict resolution and stabilization tools, in particular with regard to non-state armed groups. 


The Arms Control Poseur’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium.


We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to The Arms Control Poseur on the podcast platform of your choice.      

Date of Recording: 22 July 2024    

The Arms Control Poseur is recorded and produced at the IISS in Berlin.




The Arms Control Primer’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium

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