The decision last week to cancel President Obama’s September meeting in Russia with President Putin sparked a wave of questions among policy watchers.
Analysis
BASIC News Spring-Summer 2013
BASIC closely monitored developments coming out of the recently released Trident Alternatives Review and continued to facilitate the final term of the Trident Commission. President Barack Obama’s speech in Berlin provided additional impetus for BASIC’s continuing engagement on U.S. and NATO nuclear posture issues. With ongoing uncertainties in the Middle East, BASIC followed the recent regime change in Egypt and has explored options for future work in the region.
The NATO Alliance: Rethinking Reassurance
Recently, BASIC hosted two events centered around NATO’s nuclear posture burden-sharing. One of the underlying concerns from representatives of NATO member-states was that of reassurance.
NATO’s future nuclear posture
This roundtable event held on July 25th, 2013 in Washington, D.C., included a small group of experts and representatives from a number of NATO member states. They discussed the future of NATO’s nuclear posture and engagement with Russia on arms control and nuclear weapons – building upon workshops previously held in Moscow and Brussels in 2012 and 2013.
Summary of Roundtable Discussion on “NATO’s Future Nuclear Posture”
This paper highlights the main themes arising from a roundtable discussion held on July 25th, 2013 in Washington, D.C., which brought a small group of experts together with representatives from a number of NATO member states to discuss the future of NATO’s nuclear posture and engagement with Russia on arms control and nuclear weapons.
Egypt & the future of the Middle East WMDFZ
What happens when the regional leader in WMD Free Zone talks suddenly undergoes a volatile regime change?
For years, Egypt, driven by a desire to avoid the insecurity and perceived imbalances that would stem from nuclear weapons proliferation, has been a strong advocate for a weapons of mass destruction free zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East.
Trident: the vanguard of the UK’s defence policy?
The Voice of Russia's Scott Craig interviewed Paul Ingram and a panel of experts on the subject of Trident and the UK's defence policy. Paul Ingram stressed that nuclear policies in Europe are based on fear and a legacy that we are struggling to overcome. We need to look forward towards the 21st century and out of Cold War mentality where war can no longer be contemplated and nuclear weapons can be abolished.
Cold War Thinking and Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century
BASIC’s This Week released on Monday July 29th focuses on the prevailing Cold War mentality that pervades strategic thinking in many of the nuclear armed states.