Chiara Cervasio is a Policy Fellow, working on the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme.
Dr Rishi Paul
Senior Policy Analyst
Dr Rishi Paul is the senior nuclear policy analyst at BASIC, supporting the overall management and growth of the think tank and directing the Southern Asia project on nuclear responsibilities, a pioneering initiative exploring India and Pakistan’s responsibilities around nuclear weapons. His research also focuses on the trajectory of India and Pakistan’s nuclear policy and capabilities, especially its effect upon maintaining escalation control through their evolving deterrent relationship. This research is geared towards a critical examination of the thresholds for nuclear escalation and the role of nuclear responsibilities in managing risk reduction.
Rishi’s latest article (forthcoming), entitled, “Tiptoeing around Nuclear Responsibilities — India’s NFU as a Mona Lisa Smile, examines the belief that India’s No First Use of nuclear weapons is congruent with a drive to clearly articulate a set of nuclear responsibilities, but also symptomatic of a failed attempt to formulate a credible nuclear trajectory and associated vision for deterrence. Recent publications for BASIC include, ‘Foregrounding India’s Nuclear Responsibilities: Nuclear weapons possession and disarmament in South Asia’ and ‘Indian and Pakistani nuclear responsibilities.’
Rishi has addressed the NATO Defence College in Rome, provided media commentary for international news outlets and recently delivered written evidence to the House of Lords, Select Committee on International Relations, “Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Rishi holds both an MA in Strategic Studies and a PhD from the University of Leeds. Whilst an academic researcher at the University of Leeds, his doctorate successfully examined the dynamics of U.S. nuclear strategy and the challenges posed by incorporating ballistic missile defence into strategic doctrine.
Expertise:
- Nuclear deterrence dynamics
- Nuclear thresholds and escalation control
- Missile defence
- Nuclear non-proliferation and arms control
- US foreign and security policy
- India and Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine, posture and diplomacy
- Stepping stones to disarmament and nuclear risk reduction
Office: +44 20 3488 6974
Mobile: +44 7805 77 01 29
Read Dr Rishi Paul’s Content
Discover below Rishi’s posts ordered from newest to oldest
Meet Our Staff
Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.
Alice Spilman
Alice Spilman is a Researcher on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities with BASIC and the ICCS, University of Birmingham.
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is a Policy Fellow and Programme Manager at BASIC, managing the Emerging Technologies Programme.
Sebastian Brixey-Williams
Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC and Director of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities.
Dr Gry Thomasen
Dr Gry Thomsen is a Policy Fellow at BASIC working on the Nuclear Disarmament Programme.
Eva-Nour Repussard
Eva-Nour Repussard is a Policy Fellow, working on the Nuclear Responsibilities and Risk Reduction (NATO-Russia, the Arctic) programmes.
Meet Our Authors
Read more about our main contributors and browse their latest content and publications.
Zara Levy
Zara Rizvi joined BASIC in September 2016 to support the daily office operations and to help develop our communications strategy.
Nick Ritchie
Nick researches and teaches in the areas of international relations and international security at the University of York. His particular…
Vinod Kumar
A. Vinod Kumar is Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), and a Visiting Faculty at the Institute of…
Norman Moss
Norman Moss is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He was born in London in 1928 but was raised and educated partly in New York.
Anthony Rinna
Anthony V. Rinna is a Senior Editor with Sino-NK, a research organization dedicated to analyzing Northeast Asia. Formerly trained as an…
Rebecca Cousins
Rebecca Cousins was BASIC’s Programme Director for the Next Gen project. Prior to that, she was a diplomat in the British Foreign and…
Rachel Staley Grant
Rachel Staley Grant joined NTI in August 2016 and serves as the Director of Public Education. Between 2011 and 2016, Staley Grant…
Edmond Seay III
Ted Seay is an independent arms control and disarmament consultant currently based in London. He was assigned to the U.S. Mission to…
Ward Wilson
Ward Wilson Senior Fellow Ward Wilson was senior fellow and director of the Rethinking Nuclear…
Ian Kearns
Dr Ian Kearns is the co-Founder of the European Leadership Network and serves on the ELN’s Board of Directors. Dr Kearns served as…
Anne Penketh
Anne Penketh was BASIC Program Director in Washington from 2009 to 2012. Previously she was a staff journalist with major media…
Tim Street
Tim recently completed his PhD exploring the politics of nuclear disarmament at Warwick University as part of a collaborative…
Lianet Vazquez
Lianet Vazquez was the Herbert Scoville Jr Peace Fellow at BASIC in 2014.
Tabitha Sanders
Tabitha Sanders is one of the organisers of #NatSecGirlSquad, a US initiative to support women working in National Security. She was a…
Nina Sofie Pedersen
Nina Sofie Pedersen is a Researcher at BASIC. Her current responsibilities include researching and developing the Programme on…
John Thomson
Sir John Thomson was a British Diplomat who was High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to the UN. He served as adviser to BASIC.
Chris Lindborg-Pena
Christina Pena was BASIC’s Analyst and Programme Manager.
Ian Davis
Dr Ian Davis is an independent human security and arms control consultant, writer and founding director of NATO Watch…