Heather Williams

Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program
Williams

Heather Williams is the director of the Project on Nuclear Issues and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She is also an associate fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before joining CSIS she was a visiting fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom and a Stanton nuclear security fellow in the Security Studies Program at MIT. Until 2022, she was a senior lecturer (associate professor) in defense studies at King’s College London and taught on arms control, deterrence, and disarmament. From 2018 to 2019, Dr. Williams served as a specialist adviser to the House of Lords International Relations Committee inquiry into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and disarmament, and until 2015 she was a research fellow at Chatham House. She previously worked in the Strategy, Forces, and Resources Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses, where she remains an adjunct research staff member. Dr. Williams has a PhD in war studies from King’s College London, an MA in security policy studies from the George Washington University, and a BA in international relations and Russian studies from Boston University.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

Media Queries

In the News

All Heather Williams Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 40 results
Audio Briefs

Debating Global South Reactions to Russian Nuclear Threats

An audio version of “Debating Global South Reactions to Russian Nuclear Threats,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Heather Williams with J. Luis Rodriguez. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Heather Williams and J. Luis Rodriguez — July 30, 2024

Audio Briefs
Audio Briefs

Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?

An audio version of “Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie — July 30, 2024

Audio Briefs

Debating Global South Reactions to Russian Nuclear Threats

Russia is responsible for its nuclear saber-rattling, not the countries in the Global South. Global South countries have condemned nuclear saber-rattling publicly in regional and international forums, even if some of them have not called out Russia explicitly. 

Commentary by Heather Williams and J. Luis Rodriguez — July 30, 2024

Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?

On July 24, the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Chinese and two Russian bombers flying near Alaska. This incident was the first of its kind and could signal a growing willingness on the part of Beijing and Moscow to test American resolve.

Critical Questions by Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie — July 30, 2024

House of Cards?

While the norms against nuclear proliferation, use, and testing are widely supported and critical for stability, they are increasingly contested. The fragile interconnectedness of the norms urges global action to reinforce these pillars and prevent a destabilizing cascade.

Report by Heather Williams and Doreen Horschig — July 18, 2024

The Truth of the Matter

Arms Control Interregnum

CSIS’s Heather Williams joins the podcast to discuss Russia’s nuclear provocations and to answer the question: Is arms control as we know it dead?

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Heather Williams — June 3, 2024

CSIS the truth of the matter

Why Russia Keeps Rattling the Nuclear Saber

On May 6, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that its navy, air force, and ground missile forces would conduct tactical nuclear drills in the Southern Military District. These risky behaviors have drawn little-to-no response from the wider international community.

Commentary by Heather Williams — May 20, 2024