The Contemporary Japan Group at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Social Science

(ISS, or Shaken), welcomes you to a lecture by


Stephen Herzog

(Yale University)


Preparing for the Unthinkable in East Asia:

Cross-National Public Opinion on the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella


DATE AND PLACE

Thursday, May 23, 2019 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Akamon Sōgō Kenkyūtō Room 549, Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo


ABSTRACT

As U.S.-North Korean tensions drive nuclear dangers to crisis levels, how robust is public support for the U.S. nuclear umbrella? Scholars and policy experts often forget that extended deterrence is an elite-driven phenomenon. Polls indicate many populations protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella either oppose nuclear weapons or desire their own arsenals. In the age of "America first," polls also suggest that the U.S. public is skeptical of taking on risks to defend Washington's closest partners. Perception gaps among the U.S. and allied populations about the desirability of retaliatory actions could thus complicate government coordination in a nuclear crisis. To evaluate public support for the nuclear umbrella, my co-authors and I developed a crisis simulation survey experiment discussing hypothetical North Korean attacks on U.S. allies. Nationally representative samples (n=6,623) of the Japanese, South Korean, and U.S. populations participated in the exercise. I will discuss the survey results and relevant lessons for alliance politics and extended deterrence in Japan, East Asia, and beyond.


Study co-authors (will not be present):

David M. Allison, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Yale University

Jiyoung Ko, Assistant Professor of Politics, Bates College



SPEAKER
Stephen Herzog is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Yale University. He holds fellowships with the Pacific Forum, Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as the Yale Project on Japan's Politics and Diplomacy. His research focuses on nuclear arms control, proliferation, and deterrence. Previously, he worked for the U.S. Department of Energy, directing a global scientific engagement program supporting verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT). Stephen holds an M.A. and M.Phil. in Political Science from Yale, an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in International Relations from Knox College. Next year, he will be a research fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.



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CONTEMPORARY JAPAN GROUP
The ISS Contemporary Japan Group provides English-speaking residents of the Tokyo area with an opportunity to hear cutting-edge research in social science and related policy issues, as well as a venue for researchers and professionals in or visiting Tokyo to present and receive knowledgeable feedback on their latest research projects. Admission is free and advance registration is not required. Everyone is welcome.
For more information, including maps and a list of past lectures, please visit our website:

https://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cjg/
or contact
Gregory W. NOBLE (noble@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp <mailto:noble@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp>)