The Arms Control Negotiation Academy

Logo ACONA

The Arms Control Nego­tiation Academy (ACONA) is a 12-month, high-level professional develop­ment program for a compe­titively selected cohort of rising inter­national security experts and practi­tioners.

The world faces new secu­rity threats, a global arms race, and an increa­sing number of wars. Great power and re­gional ten­sions are on the rise. The post-World War II security archi­tecture is disinte­grating. In this crucial mo­ment in history, ACONA pre­pares the next generation of arms control nego­tiators to meet the security challen­ges of our time.

ACONA is one of the few places in the world where mid-career scho­lars, diplo­mats and decision-makers from all conti­nents - including the US, Europe, Russia, China and the Global South - can meet in per­son, learn from each other and work to­gether. The goal is to build an epis­temic commu­nity that will lead the field of arms con­trol, non-proli­feration and disarma­ment into the future.

In an increa­singly dan­gerous and fragmen­ted world, we seek to estab­lish ACONA as the world's leading insti­tution for new thinking in coope­rative security across geo­political fault lines.

The ambi­tious training curri­culum addresses critical histo­rical case studies, techno­logical know-how, and advanced nego­tiation skills in the realm of arms control. Partici­pants attend three boot camps, earn a Certi­ficate in Arms Control Nego­tiation, and become part of the ACONA net­work.

The training pro­gram includes nego­tiation master classes and immer­sive simu­lations, design thinking work­shops and research group work in multi­lateral teams. The focus is on the nuclear area. How­ever, high-level senior experts with prac­tical experience in various areas of arms con­trol and secu­rity policy ensure inter­disciplinary and state-of-the-art quality.

ACONA is an inter­national consor­tium led by Höfði Rey­kjavík Peace Centre at the Uni­versity of Iceland, in colla­boration with the Wood­row Wilson Center's History and Pub­lic Policy Pro­gram, Peace Research Insti­tute Frankfurt (PRIF), the Project on Mana­ging the Atom (MTA) at the Belfer Center for Science and Inter­national Affairs at Har­vard Kennedy School, the James Martin Center for Non­proliferation Studies (CNS), and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Har­vard Uni­versity.

In 2019, six organi­zations joined forces to launch ACONA: the Nego­tiation Task Force at Harvard Uni­versity’s Davis Center for Russian and Eura­sian Studies, the Wood­row Wilson Center's His­tory and Public Policy Pro­gram, Höfði Rey­kjavík Peace Centre, the Higher School of Eco­nomics, Moscow State Institute of Inter­national Relations, and PRIF.

In 2021, the James Martin Center for Non­proliferation Studies and the MTA joined as affili­ated organi­zations.

In March 2022, the member­ship in the ACONA Consor­tium of the Higher School of Eco­nomics and Moscow State Insti­tute of Inter­national Rela­tions was suspended.

In July 2023, the Nego­tiation Task Force left the ACONA Consor­tium and the Davis Center for Russian and Eura­sian Studies at Harvard Uni­versity joined the ACONA Consortium as an affiliated organi­zation.

Members

Project Lead

Christopher Daase

Christopher Daase

Sascha Hach

Sascha Hach

Staff

[Translate to Englisch:]

Timothée Hillier-Davis

Thomas Reinhold

Thomas Reinhold