After a 25-year reprieve from their use in conflict, the effects of chemical weapons are once again back in the headlines. From repetitive chemical attacks in Syria by the Assad regime to the use of mustard gas by Islamic State militants in Syria and against Kurdish forces in Iraq, to the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother in Malaysia, the threat of chemical weapons not only endures in the 21st century but is spreading. In this IFRS FSLP seminar Cindy Vestegaard, a Senior Associate with the US-based Stimson Centre, will explore some of these events and their implications for our understanding of chemical weapons and the norms surrounding their use.

Dr Cindy Vestergaard

Cindy Vestergaard is a Senior Associate with the Nuclear Safeguards program at the Stimson Centre and currently a visiting fellow at the University of Sydney’s Centre for International Security Studies (CISS). Vestergaard was previously a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her current research focuses on the global governance of natural uranium and the debates surrounding potential emerging suppliers and consumers. Her research portfolio also includes chemical weapons disarmament, biosecurity and import/export controls.

Before joining DIIS, Vestergaard worked on non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament policy and programming at Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Positions, among others, included Senior Policy Advisor, Global Partnership Program; Senior Policy Advisor, Foreign Intelligence Division; and Political Officer at Canada’s Mission to Hungary and Slovenia.

Vestergaard has been an external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen; a regular contributor to media outlets and presents nationally and internationally on weapons of mass destruction, proliferation and disarmament issues.

She has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of British Columbia, M.A. in International Relations and European Studies from Central European University (Budapest, Hungary) and Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen.

Event Details

Venue: Frederick Barker Room, 1 King Street, Newtown, Sydney

Time: 5.30 for 6.00 pm - 7 pm

Catering: tea/coffee on arrival

Cost: free