British diplomats now will be in the dog house, and have a tough time ahead of them.
Meaningful dialogue to build international trust, reduce nuclear risks and advance disarmament.
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BASIC is a independent think tank
promoting dialogue to advance
global security
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Foundation Year
Since 1987, we’ve been at the forefront of global efforts to build trust and cooperation on some of the world’s most progressive global peace and security initiatives.
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Programmes
BASIC has six active programmes, each offering innovative paths to support the global objectives of nuclear disarmament and arms control.
Latest from BASIC
See our latest publications, analysis and events here:
Upcoming Event: The Emerging Voices Network Plenary Meeting
BASIC and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) are delighted to announce the upcoming Emerging Voices Network plenary meeting on 31 March, 2021, 15:30-17:30 BST (10:30 – 12:30 EDT).
BASIC Policy Intern, Fabian Hoffmann, Publishes New Report on Cruise Missile Proliferation
One of BASIC’s talented Policy Interns, Fabian Hoffmann, has published a report with the European…
Latest Analysis
We provide analysis on the latest debates in the field of nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.
Hubris, Hypocrisy or Hedge?
The Integrated Review
In just 76 words highlighted below across three statements in the nuclear deterrent section of the 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (IR), the UK government reversed its policy of gradual reduction of the variety, number and salience of its nuclear weapons in place through successive governments since the end of the Cold War.
Biden and No First Use: an Opportunity for the Taking
President Obama considered it, and as Vice-President, Biden advocated for it. Will the Biden Administration now commit to a No First Use policy?
The Nuclear Weapons Dimensions of the 2021 Integrated Review: A First Look
The Johnson Government has set a decisive course away from the United Kingdom’s three decade-long trend of successive nuclear reductions and increasing transparency.
Latest Publications
BASIC reports and briefings offer authoritative analysis and innovative recommendations to help countries make meaningful progress on nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. Read some of our latest publications from across our programmes:
Gender, Think-Tanks and International Affairs: a Toolkit
The Gender, Think-Tanks and International Affairs Toolkit has been jointly developed and published by BASIC,…
Report: Strategic Risk Reduction in the European Context
States have employed risk reduction strategies in order to manage some of the unintended consequences…
Report: Exploring the Nuclear Responsibilities Framing in India
On 22nd November 2019, BASIC organised a half-day scoping workshop in New Delhi at the…
Report: Advancing Strategic Risk Reduction in Europe
This report arises from a roundtable on ‘European strategies for strategic risk reduction’ on 1…
Report: Reducing Nuclear Risks: European perspectives from the 2019 PrepCom
This report arises from a roundtable on ‘Developing European Perspectives on Nuclear Risks’ on 7 May 2019, hosted at the Polish Mission to the UN in New York and under the sponsorship of the Dutch Foreign Ministry during the 2019 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee.
Report: Re-emerging Nuclear Risks in Europe
The security environment in Europe has deteriorated in recent years, and nuclear risks have re-emerged as a prime concern for European governments.
Report: Stepping Stones to Disarmament – Making Progress in a Polarised International Climate
The Stepping Stones Approach seeks to engage all members of the international community in a cooperative and inclusive process that nudges the nuclear possessor states away from arms racing dynamics and in a more positive direction, with the intention of reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in postures, achieving incremental disarmament and progressively building up the capacity for further steps.
Report: Nuclear Responsibilities in an Interconnected World
This report arises from a one-day roundtable on ‘nuclear responsibilities’ on the 6th March 2019, hosted by the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.
Explore our Programmes
BASIC believes in making progress on nuclear disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation through multiple complementary approaches. We continuously develop our programmes – streams of research – through sustained engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, collectively searching for the art of the possible.
Our current programmes are listed below. To see our Programme’s page, click here. To see our completed programmes, visit our archive.
Strategic Risk Reduction
Nuclear risks have been increasing. Find out what can be done to counteract this trend:
Report: Strategic Risk Reduction in the European Context
States have employed risk reduction strategies in order to manage some of the unintended consequences…
Report: Advancing Strategic Risk Reduction in Europe
This report arises from a roundtable on ‘European strategies for strategic risk reduction’ on 1…
Securing Empathy to Prevent Misunderstanding Among the Nuclear Five
This article was co-authored with Professor Nicholas J. Wheeler, Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security…
Parliamentary Briefing: House of Lords Debate on ‘Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’
This parliamentary briefing was issued in advance of the Debate on the report from the International Relations Committee ‘Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’, Tuesday, 16th of July 2019. This is an opportunity to consider the ways in which the UK can reduce nuclear risks globally, and engage in meaningful multilateral disarmament processes ahead of the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
Report: Reducing Nuclear Risks: European perspectives from the 2019 PrepCom
This report arises from a roundtable on ‘Developing European Perspectives on Nuclear Risks’ on 7 May 2019, hosted at the Polish Mission to the UN in New York and under the sponsorship of the Dutch Foreign Ministry during the 2019 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee.
Report: Re-emerging Nuclear Risks in Europe
The security environment in Europe has deteriorated in recent years, and nuclear risks have re-emerged as a prime concern for European governments.
Stepping Stones to Disarmament
In a difficult international environment, the disarmament steps agreed at NPT review conferences seem increasingly blocked. The Stepping Stones approach suggests a pathway for unblocking disarmament:
Stockholm Syndrome: Looking to escape the nuclear trap we’re caught in
Whilst the public debate over nuclear disarmament tends to deal in black and white, the reality is that the nuclear disarmament process to which every member of the international community is committed to inevitably involves a complex set of steps that can be taken unilaterally, bilaterally and multilaterally. And this process inevitably involves uncertainty and setback.
Swedish Foreign Minister hosts ministerial meeting for Stepping Stones approach
On Tuesday, 11 June, Foreign Ministers from 15 countries meet in Stockholm to discuss how to make progress on nuclear disarmament. The impetus for this meeting is the Swedish ‘Stepping Stones’ implementation approach, presented in April at the United Nations in order to revive the blocked disarmament pathway in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Foreign Minister of Sweden, Margot Wallström, launches ‘Stepping Stones’ Approach to Nuclear Disarmament
BASIC co-developed the Stepping Stones framework with Sweden, and this year has a supporting project with roundtables and publications.
Report: Stepping Stones to Disarmament – Making Progress in a Polarised International Climate
The Stepping Stones Approach seeks to engage all members of the international community in a cooperative and inclusive process that nudges the nuclear possessor states away from arms racing dynamics and in a more positive direction, with the intention of reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in postures, achieving incremental disarmament and progressively building up the capacity for further steps.
Pragmatic Leadership to achieve progress on disarmament: Finding Stepping Stones in the Step-by-Step approach
This is a roundtable report for the roundtable ‘Pragmatic Leadership to achieve progress on disarmament: Finding Stepping Stones in the Step-by-Step approach’, organised by BASIC in London on 22 November 2018.
NATO Leadership at the NPT: Finding Stepping Stones in the Step-by-Step Approach
The roundtable assessed the general health of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the state of nuclear disarmament and arms control, and what leadership means in creating a cooperative approach at the 2020 NPT Review Conference.
We think, we write
BASIC is developing new approaches to overcome states’ dependency on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which blocks global nuclear disarmament and drives proliferation. We engage diverse perspectives, encourage empathy across states, and broaden the context of debate. We have an established reputation for non-partisan, non-judgemental, cross-cultural engagement and for seeking common ground.
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Our distinctive practice — developed over thirty years — uses sustained and inclusive diplomacy, active listening and empathy to transform some of the world’s most dangerous nuclear stalemates. But we can’t do it without you.