Dr. Alexander K. Bollfrass

Bollfrass, Alexander

Haldeneggsteig 4
8092 Zürich
Switzerland

Phone: +41 44 632 09 23
Mail:

Dr. Alexander K. Bollfrass is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich. He was previously a Stanton nuclear security postdoctoral fellow with the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center and an associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Alex was a nuclear weapons policy researcher at the Washington-based Arms Control Association and Stimson Center, before earning a Ph.D. in security studies from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

One part of his archival research agenda compares how well intelligence agencies perform in assessing other countries' nuclear programs. Another part investigates hidden barriers to the spread of nuclear technologies. In parallel, Alex explores how climate affects civil wars and the ethical dilemmas of serving the security state.

Selected Publications

external pageShaver, Andrew; Bollfrass, Alexander (2023) 'Disorganized Political Violence: A Demonstration Case of Temperature and Insurgency', International Organization, 1–35.

external pageBollfrass, Alexander; Herzog, Stephen (2022) 'The War in Ukraine and Global Nuclear Order', Survival 64, 4: 7-32.

external pageBollfrass, Alex; Spatz, Benjamin J. (2021) ‘Intelligence and Political Power in Neo-​Patrimonial Systems: Theory and Evidence from Liberia’, in: Shaffer, Ryan (ed.) African Intelligence Services: Early Postcolonial and Contemporary Challenges, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Bollfrass, Alex; Budjeryn, Mariana (2020) 'Arms Control: For and By Europe’, CSS Policy Perspectives 8, 10.

external pageBollfrass, Alex; Spokojny, Dan (2020) ‘What American Diplomacy can Learn from Public Health Experts’, foraus-​Blog.

Bollfrass, Alex (2020) 'Syria: Stumbling into Stalemate', in: Sisson, Melanie W.; Siebens, James A.; Blechman, Barry M. (eds.) Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War, London: Routledge.

Bollfrass, Alex; Schaad, Lea (2020) 'The “Fearful Atomic Dilemma:” Checking in with the New Management', The Next Generation Nuclear Network.

Bollfrass, Alex; O'Donnell, Frank (2020) ‘The Strategic Postures of China and India: A Visual Guide’, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.

Bollfrass, Alex; O'Donnell, Frank (2020) 'India is Building Nuclear Submarines and ICBMs. That’s a $14 Billion Mistake', Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

external pageBollfrass, Alex (2018) 'Did the U.S. Underestimate North Korea’s Weapons Program? It’s not that Simple', The Washington Post/Monkey Cage.

external pageBollfrass, Alex; Shaver, Andrew (2015) 'The Effects of Temperature on Political Violence: Global Evidence at the Subnational Level', PLoS ONE 10, 5: e0123505.

external pageBollfrass, Alex; Blechman, Barry (2010) 'Zero Nuclear Weapons: The Pragmatic Path to Security', The Nonproliferation Review 17, 3: 569-​575.

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