The impact of the election of Tea Party-backed Republicans in the November 2010 midterms on President Barack Obama's nuclear non-proliferation agenda.
Scott Brown and the bombs in the basement
“Unfortunately, the nuclear capability of Israel goes unmentioned in his article, highlighting the Arab contention that the West is guilty of double standards by shielding Israel but punishing Iran.”
Excerpt from article by BASIC Program Director Anne Penketh, written for The Hill’s Congress Blog.
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It’s a no-brainer: ratify the arms control treaty
“In the last few weeks, watching the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on New START unfold, I have sometimes felt like shouting out 'Senators, get a world view,' because in the minutiae of 18 public hearings, the bigger picture has been lost.”
Excerpt from article by BASIC Program Director Anne Penketh, written for The Hill's Congress Blog.
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Stopping New START?
This BASIC Backgrounder covers the essential developments in the Senate ratification hearings for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and Russia on reductions to their deployed long-range nuclear weapons arsenal.
NPT Review Conference ends with adoption of consensus Final Document
There was a rare and powerful burst of euphoria at the UN on the final day of the NPT Review Conference, when the representatives of about 180 states agreed on a final document without a vote.
NPT Review Conference president moves towards the endgame
Day 17: The NPT Review Conference president, Libran Cabactulan, has moved towards the endgame by submitting a draft final document which contains both a treaty review and a forward-looking action plan covering all three pillars of the treaty (disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy).
Middle East nuclear weapons free zone subject of panel discussion at the NPT Review Conference
Anne Penketh, BASIC Program Director, backed Egypt's proposals for a Middle East international conference to work towards a Middle East nuclear weapons free zone at a side event on the margins of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
The May 21 event was hosted by Greenpeace whose Israeli representative, Sharon Dolev, described how she has been trying to raise awareness for nuclear disarmament in Israel, where discussion of that country's presumed nuclear arsenal of up to 200 weapons remains taboo.
Disarmament timeline could be deal-breaker at NPT Review Conference
Day 14: There is widespread dismay at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference where the latest draft on the treaty's disarmament pillar has excised all references to a timetable for the nuclear weapons states to disarm.