Maria Rost Rublee, Ph.D.

m.rublee@monash.edu

Monash University

City: Melbourne, Victoria

Country: Australia

Twitter

Website

Research Interests

Nuclear Weapons

Foreign Policy

Political Psychology

Asian Politics

Australia And Pacific Island Politics

Gender and Politics

Nuclear Proliferation

Nuclear Nonproliferation

Nuclear Disarmament

International Norms

Nuclear Energy

Social Psychology

Diversity National Security

Gender National Security

Nuclear Deterrence

Maritime Security

Countries of Interest

Japan

North Korea

Australia

United States

Iran

China

Egypt

Publications:

Journal Articles:

(2018) Nuclear Norms in Global Governance: A Progressive Research Agenda, Contemporary Security Policy

We argue that the framework of norms has generated a progressive research agenda in the field of global nuclear politics, providing important insights that traditional realist and materialist analyses ignore or dismiss. These insights are not on the margins of nuclear politics; rather, they answer central questions about nuclear non-use, possession, and the nonproliferation regime at large. These findings are not a fluke; instead, they stem from the powerful analytical framework of norms, which provides complexes of linked propositions about actor expectations and behavior in global nuclear politics. This article examines three of those propositions: the importance of the logic of appropriateness, the role of norm contestation, and the changes brought about by norm entrepreneurs. Finally, we identify other norms-related ideas that can further illuminate the dire policy crises facing global nuclear governance, as well as specific areas of nuclear politics that would benefit from norms-related scrutiny.

(2017) Time to Worry, Mate? The Construction of Maritime Security Perceptions Down Under, Pacific Focus

Maritime security challenges in the Asia–Pacific are increasingly at the forefront of both academic and policy concerns, both inside and outside of the region. The intense geostrategic competition in the South China Sea partially explains the growing interest, but the attention goes deeper than that. The rise of new maritime powers in the Pacific, as well as increasing concerns over a clash between the United States and China, underscore the burgeoning importance of the maritime Asia–Pacific. While much of the research on Asian–Pacific maritime security focuses heavily on the experiences and strategies of the major powers, it is also important to understand the perspectives and policies of other actors in the region. This article focuses specifically on the maritime security perceptions of Australia and New Zealand: Using interviews with and publications by trans-Tasman experts, I sketch the dominant threats perceived by the countries in their maritime environments. Important policy conclusions can be drawn from this analysis of perceptions of maritime security challenges Down Under. Perhaps the timeliest policy insight is that as the United States considers whether or not to confront China over its behavior in the South China Sea, it is unlikely to receive full support from all of its mates in the region. The paper also argues that understanding key maritime security challenges – from the pragmatic to great powers relations – requires an openness to understanding how maritime security threat perceptions are constructed by identity and other ideational factors.