Trident Commission

Since 2011 BASIC has been running an independent, cross-party commission to examine the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapons policy and the issue of Trident renewal. Its final report and background papers were published on 1 July 2014.

NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2010

We approach the end of 2010 on the verge of a vote in the U.S. Senate on the new START treaty, brought to the floor on December 15th, and for a possible vote as early as tomorrow, December 22nd. Its ratification is significant for verification measures, as well as for the global nuclear disarmament agenda if only because it lays an important foundation stone for future initiatives between the United States and Russia, and helps to open the way for the Administration to bring the test ban treaty to the Senate.

Obama: NATO to erect missile shield for Europe

“In an astonishing demonstration of weakness, NATO heads of state have failed to tackle the Cold War legacy of the deployment of U.S. nuclear gravity bombs in Europe, threatening the credibility of NATO members’ claims to be interested in non-proliferation and global disarmament.”

NATO summit as platform for US-Russia reSTART

“If it is stalled, then clearly it will harm the prospects for future negotiations that follow, that use this as a foundation for the next round.  It will be impossible to have another round of arms control negotiations, as such. If that treaty comes up for ratification on the floor of the Senate, it will pass. The debate is when it comes up for votes.”

Experts Call NATO Strategic Concept ‘Missed Opportunity to Reduce Role of Obsolete Tactical Nukes from Europe’

U.S. and European nuclear arms control and security experts criticized NATO\’s new “Strategic Concept” as a conservative, backward-looking policy, a missed opportunity to reduce the number and role of the 200 forward-deployed U.S. tactical nuclear bombs and engage Russia in a dialogue on removing all tactical nuclear weapons from Europe.

NATO Shadow Summit II

The British American Security Information Council (BASIC), Bertelsmann Stiftung, International Security Information Service (ISIS), Europe and NATO Watch are organizing the NATO Shadow Summitt II in Brussels on 15-16 November 2010.   

 

The Shadow NATO Summit II

Civil Society Perspectives on the Lisbon Summit and NATO’s New Strategic Concept