Note: Registration is free but now required to view the event live.
Arguably, few things have shaped the “America First” policy agenda more than the growing U.S.-China rivalry. Concerns about boundaries in the South China Sea, threats to Taiwan’s independence, and the AI arms race are all fueling tensions. Following a recent meeting between President Trump and President Xi, questions have emerged about the future of nuclear weapons and the relationship between the two countries. Trump has asserted that the U.S. will start testing nuclear weapons again for the first time in more than 30 years and claims that China has been testing nuclear weapons, something China subsequently denied.
This raises important questions:
- What is the rationale for the U.S. to restart nuclear weapons testing — and how might China and other nuclear powers respond?
- What scenarios could lead to a military clash between the U.S. and China — and how can nuclear escalation be avoided?
- Is there a viable path for diplomatic engagement and arms control between the two nations?
Join fellow UW alumni and friends online for a livestream and Q & A with a panel of experts who will discuss these topics. The talk will be moderated by Mike Knetter, from the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Speakers
Sébastien Philippe is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an associate faculty member at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. He is also a visiting research scholar with Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, where he spent six years before joining UW–Madison in August 2025. Philippe’s work combines technical and policy analysis to inform public and governmental understanding of nuclear risks and to support evidence-based policy and diplomatic solutions. His current research focuses on modeling the consequences of nuclear weapon use and nuclear war. In July 2025, the UN secretary-general appointed him to the newly established Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War. Philippe is a 2025 MacArthur Fellow. He earned his doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton in 2018 and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard. Prior to his doctoral work, Philippe served as a nuclear weapon system safety engineer in the French Ministry of Armed Forces.
Jessica Weeks is a professor of political science and the H. Douglas Weaver Chair in Diplomacy and International Relations. Her research interests include foreign policy, non-democracy, peace, political institutions, public opinion, weapons of mass destruction, and the domestic and international politics of authoritarian regimes. Her book, Dictators at War and Peace, explores the domestic politics of international conflict in dictatorships and was published in 2014 in the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs Series at Cornell University Press. Weeks is the 2018 recipient of the International Studies Association Karl Deutsch Award, recognizing the scholar under 40 who has made the most significant contribution to the study of international relations.
This event is hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association®.
