2017 Davis UWC Fellow Spotlight: Brandon Mok

Brandon Mok

Home Institution: Cornell University

Major: History

“The Davis UWC fellowship was an invaluable opportunity for me to explore the field of disarmament and nonproliferation. By participating in a comprehensive series of seminars with experts (nuclear scientists, and international policymakers and treaty negotiators alike) on the disarmament and nonproliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, I learnt an immense amount about the complexity of international security issues. I especially appreciated Dr. Avner Cohen’s seminar on the Israeli nuclear weapons program and the country’s policy of opacity around its weapons, and Dr Andrea Berger’s seminar on North Korean arms exports.

In terms of my own research, my project on global nuclear legislation and governance with Dr. Cohen (the eminent Israeli nuclear historian) was also instrumental in developing my interest in the intersection of international legal regimes and international security.”

Brandon Mok coauthored a report with Dr. Avner Cohen, a professor and Senior Research Fellow at CNS. The report, titled: “Nuclear Governance and Legislation in Four
Nuclear-Armed Democracies: A Comparative Study” looks at four separate nations and their approach to nuclear governance. The report can be read here.