BASIC hosted its second conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Gulf in Istanbul, Turkey on March 25-26, 2013.
Analysis
BASIC News January – February 2013
The BASIC Trident Commission continued its deliberations on multiple aspects of the United Kingdom’s nuclear posture. Also in the first part of the year, BASIC organized sessions focused on U.S. nuclear weapons and extended deterrence in both London and Washington, engaging with a range of political and international perspectives.
Taking A Different Starting Point
In this opinion brief, Julie Rønbeck reflects on the Norwegian conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, which was held March 4-5. She also reviews the broader context for the event and civil society involvement.
Conference in Oslo discusses Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons
On Monday and Tuesday this week, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting officials from 132 countries and civil society representatives in Oslo to discuss the humanitarian, environmental, developmental and economic consequences of nuclear weapon detonation.
E3+3 (P5+1) meet tomorrow with Iran in Kazakhstan
The E3+3 (P5+1: United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany) will meet with Iran on Tuesday for official talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the first formal meeting in eight months. These talks follow last week’s update report from the IAEA on Iran’s nuclear program, indicating that a new type of centrifuge was installed at Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant, Natanz, that could speed up the enrichment process, and increase the accumulation of 20 per cent low-enriched uranium.
The U.S. Nuclear Deterrent: An International Perspective
BASIC's Executive Director reflects upon the Nuclear Deterrence Summit, which included a BASIC event on “European Perspectives on Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century” on February 20, 2013. This brief paper includes summaries of views expressed by a number of international participants at the conference, with a focus on transatlantic relations.
NATO Defense Ministerial
NATO’s Defense Ministerial meeting is set to take place in Brussels Thursday and Friday this week. The anticipated drawdown of the International Security Assistance Force from Afghanistan in 2014 and the continued unrest in Syria and Mali are expected to dominate the agenda.
The State of the Union: Obama to announce further nuclear reductions?
President Obama will address the American public in his State of the Union address tomorrow. Last week U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke in Munich, suggesting that the President will address their shared interests in “advancing a comprehensive nuclear agenda to strengthen the non-proliferation regime, [and] reduce[d] global stockpiles of nuclear materials”.