Émile Lambert-Deslandes

Research Interests

International Security, Nuclear Weapons, Deterrence and Proliferation, Great Powers Dynamics, Canadian Defence and Foreign Policy, and NATO.

Brief Biography

Émile is a doctoral candidate and Joseph-Armand Bombardier (CGS-D) Scholar in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University, studying International Relations and Security. He has been granted the Desjardins Scholarship, the G.G. Baron Van der Feltz Award for best master’s dissertation in International Relations, and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS; twice). Émile’s research is primarily focused on NATO deterrence, nuclear weapons, and nuclear latency. Additionally, he works on Canadian foreign and defence policy, as well as nuclear (non-)proliferation. 

Émile has authored or co-authored articles, book chapters, and book reviews that have been published in International Affairs, the Journal of Strategic and Military Studies, the Palgrave Handbook on Contemporary Geopolitics, and The Conversation, and regularly analyzes international events on the radio. He is also a Graduate Research Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy, and a Coordinator for the Network for Strategic Analysis. Previously, Émile earned a B.A. in International Development Studies at McGill University in 2020, and a M.A. in Political Studies at Queen’s University in 2022.

Publications

"The War in Ukraine and nuclear sharing in NATO." International Affairs 100, no. 2 (March 2024). * with S. von Hlatky.

"Are American nuclear weapons returning to the United Kingdom." The Conversation (2024). * with S. von Hlatky.

"A 'Middle Power' in Strategic Dependence: The Contemporary Geopolitics of Canada." In The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Geopolitics, ed. by Zak Cope (Palgrave, 2024). 

"NATO, the Ukraine War, and Extended Deterrence: What Future for Nuclear Sharing in Europe?" [in French]. In À l'aune de la Guerre en Ukraine, ed. by André Simonyi and Frédéric Côté (Laval University Press, 2024). * with S. von Hlatky.

(Book Review) "Practicing peace: conflict management in southeast Asia and South America, by Aarie Glas." International Affairs 99, no. 5 (September 2023): 2168-2169.

“Ukraine War: Why the Missile Incident in Poland is a Warning of Things to Come.” The Conversation (republished in Yahoo! News, MSN, EconoTimes, NewsBreak, The Winnipeg Free Press, and The National Post; 2022).  

“Balancing, Bandwagoning and Power Maximization: NATO Enlargement Through the Lens of Offensive Realism.” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies 22, no. 1 (October 2022): 175-206.

"In Canadian International Policy, Real Change Means Hard Choices." In What’s Next? International Cooperation and the Management of Traditional and Emerging Threats, edited by Stéfanie von Hlatky & Justin Massie, 24-27. Network for Strategic Analysis, May 2022. 

"Canada's Role in the Modern Nuclear Landscape." Policy Report n. 14, Network for Strategic Analysis, December 2021. * with L.-B. Lafontaine.

"Trouble in Paradise? Germany's Incoming "Traffic Light" Coalition and its Potential Impacts on NATO's Security." Hot Takes, Network for Strategic Analysis, December 2021.

Conference Presentations (Selected)

"Nuclear Today, Nuclear Tomorrow: Addressing the Benefits of the Bomb." Meeting of the MINDS, Canadian Defence and Security Network, Ottawa (2023). 

"Relational Ontologies: Identity Narratives, Security, and Nuclear Choices." Nuclear Security Workshop, Hertie School, Berlin (2023).

"From Permissive to Punitive: The Evolution of the Nuclear Normative Regime since 1945." Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Toronto (2023). 

“Legitimized at Home and/or Abroad? The Uneven Ideational Benefits of Nuclear Weapons.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, Chicago (2023).

“The Future of NATO Deterrence.” Future Leaders Conference, Rome, NATO Defence College (2023).

“Interstate Cooperation and Multilateralism: The Evolution of Nuclear Norms and Practices in the 21st Century.” [in French]. A Riskier World? Québec, Graduate School of International Studies Colloquium, Laval University (2022).

“Taiwan’s Implications for Nuclear Non-Proliferation.” [French-English bilingual presentation]. Is War Over Taiwan Coming? Montreal, Montreal Institute of International Studies Colloquium, UQAM (2022).

Awards

SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-D), 2023-2026

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), 2023-2024 (declined)

Sir Edward Peacock Research Award, 2023

G.G. Baron Van der Feltz Award for best dissertation in international relations, 2022-2023

Desjardins Scholarship, 2022

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), 2022-2023

3rd Prize Winner, Annual Student Award of Excellence of the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 2022