Mountbatten Centre For International Studies

The Mountbatten Centre for International Studies (MCIS) explores significant trends in international security. It is particularly active in studying the global spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the different ways of controlling them. We seek to facilitate and encourage international consensus-building on these matters through dialogue with national policy-making officials and researchers, and through our own research.

One distinguishing characteristic of our work is its coverage of all the WMD technologies and their international regulatory mechanisms, and our ability to integrate and compare what is taking place in the different fields. We have active programmes on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, their missile delivery systems, and British nuclear history. Related research programmes are also being pursued on the application of global governance methods to WMD precursors; responses to the terrorist use of WMD; and cyber terrorism.

The MCIS is headed by its founding Director, Professor John Simpson OBE, and its work is carried by a small team of postdoctoral Research Fellows and experienced Visiting Research Fellows

MCIS was established in 1990 in succession to its predecessor the Centre for International Policy Studies, set up in 1983. It bears the name of Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-79), whose home was close to the University of Southampton and whose papers are housed in the University's Hartley Library.

Mountbatten Centre for International Studies
Division of Politics & International Relations
School of Social Sciences
The University
Highfield
Southampton
Hants
SO17 1BJ
UK

Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 2522
Fax: +44 (0)23 8059 3533
E-mail: mcis@soton.ac.uk