About us
🐦🔥 Welcome to Off The Record — an intellectual salon in Norwich for in-depth, open conversations, discussions and debate.
|| Do you ever wish there was a space to talk about the big issues — politics, society, culture, || current events — openly and respectfully, without fear of being judged or shut down?
Off The Record is an independent group, community and platform where people can come together to explore different ideas, share perspectives, and connect over meaningful conversations. OTR is not affiliated with any political group, party or organisation. OTR is an independent project created and curated by Idalia Kulik and is supported on a voluntary, individual basis by sponsors or members of the community.
👉 Join us on various platforms 🔗
We host regular meetups featuring:
- Guest speakers on politics, activism, and current affairs
- Open discussions on social and cultural topics (including art, philosophy, history etc)
- Opportunities to meet like-minded people and build local community
Whether you’re passionate about a cause, curious about other viewpoints, or simply looking to have thoughtful conversations with interesting people, you’re welcome here.
Our values:
- Freedom of speech
- Respectful dialogue (this can be harder than it seems when faced with an opinion that is different to one's own)
- Curiosity
- Open-mindedness
- Equality & Inclusivity — everyone has a voice and a place at the table regardless of their views, opinions, or background.
It's ok to:
- Disagree — and agree to disagree — as long as it’s done respectfully
- Ask difficult or "unpopular" questions
- Question and challenge opinions
You do not:
- Need to be an expert on any of the topics.
- Have to engage, you can simply come to listen
What is "required":
- Being curious & open-minded
- Being open to a variety of thoughts and opinions
- Emotions are allowed, but remember that you are responsible for your actions and behaviour.
Join OTR if this resonates with you 🐦🔥
Upcoming events
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OTR: Nuclear Weapons with Dr Soul Park UEA
St. Giles House Hotel, 41 St. Giles Street NR2 1JR, Norwich, GB❗️DATE UPDATE: Please be aware that we’ve changed the date from 28.10.26 to 25.11.26.
🌋 Why do states pursue nuclear weapons despite their enormous costs and risks — and do these weapons ultimately make the world safer or more dangerous?
This conversation will explore the motivations behind nuclear proliferation and the enduring debate over deterrence: whether nuclear weapons prevent major wars, or instead increase the risk of escalation, miscalculation and instability.
🗓️ 25.11.2026
🕕 18:00 doors open; 18:30 start
📍St Giles House Hotel🎟️ General Admission Ticket £10
(or more if you’d like to be a supporter)
🎟️ Concession Ticket £5 (if you are not able to pay the full price)Are Nuclear Weapons a Force for Peace?
Why do states pursue nuclear weapons, and do these weapons ultimately promote peace? Since the nuclear revolution of 1945, the landscape of international security has been fundamentally transformed. During the Cold War, nuclear weapons stood at the center of global politics, shaping strategic doctrines, alliances, and rivalries. Yet their significance has not diminished in the post-Cold War era. Instead, nuclear politics has evolved in ways that continue to challenge established assumptions about deterrence and stability.
In recent decades, new states have joined the nuclear club, while others have seriously contemplated acquiring nuclear capabilities. At the same time, the number of nuclear latent states, those with the technological capacity to develop nuclear weapons, has grown substantially. These trends raise a critical question: why do states pursue nuclear weapons despite the immense financial costs, technical challenges, and intense international scrutiny they face?
This session examines the strategic, political, and normative drivers behind nuclear proliferation. In doing so, it revisits a long-standing debate in security studies, namely whether nuclear weapons serve as a force for peace. While some argue that nuclear deterrence reduces the likelihood of major war, others highlight the risks of escalation, miscalculation, and regional instability.
By exploring both the motivations for nuclear acquisition and the consequences of nuclear possession, this talk asks whether a world with more nuclear-armed states is inherently more stable or more dangerous.***
Dr Soul Park is a Lecturer in International Relations at UEA. Prior to his current position, he was Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore. His research and teaching focus on security and foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific, with particular attention to second-order regional security dynamics, examining how secondary states navigate, adapt to, and shape evolving regional security architectures. His broader interests include alliance politics, defense policy, nuclear politics, and the governance of regional order in the Indo-Pacific.
He holds a B.A. from Seoul National University, an M.Sc. from University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.UEA Profile | Academia | LinkedIn | Twitter/X
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Cash on the day | Accepted |***
Before attending, please take a moment to read our OTR Code of Conduct. By attending any OTR event, you acknowledge that you've read it and agree to abide by it throughout the Session.3 attendees
Past events
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