Stephen F. Austin State University

An expert on nuclear policy and proliferation will be a guest speaker at 7 p.m. March 23 in Liberal Arts North Room 102 at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Tara Murphy received a Bachelor of Science in international affairs from Georgia Institute of Technology and her graduate degree in security studies from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She speaks French and Russian and has studied in Paris, Lyon, Brussels and Berlin.

"Tara has focused her career primarily on the issues of international security and nuclear proliferation," said Dr. Michael Tkacik, associate professor of political science at SFA. "Her studies have taken her to the prominent cities of Europe and produced publications concerning the relationship between Europe and the United States in leading the world since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."

The presentation is sponsored by SFA's International Studies Program, the Department of Political Science and the Project on Nuclear Issues, a group whose purpose is to build and sustain a network of emerging nuclear experts in the military, public office and national laboratories, and to address the challenges of nuclear proliferation by introducing fresh ideas from both experts and the community at large. The project began with 20 members and has grown to more than 430 members in recent years.

"Nuclear proliferation has been a concern since the early years of the Cold War," Tkacik explained. "President Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace' program and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty each sought to mitigate the dangers of nuclear proliferation. But since the end of the Cold War, each of these regimes has shown weariness. Proliferation to rogue states and/or terrorists is perhaps the single most important foreign policy issue of the early 21st century."

According to Tkacik, North Korea, Iran and Al Qaeda are all adversaries who may not respond to traditional deterrent measures.

"The threat is all too real, and the need for national public dialogue is clear," Tkacik said. "We are honored to welcome Tara Murphy into our community to inform and stimulate dialogue on this pressing global matter."

Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Tkacik at mtkacik@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-3903.