It may sound like an oxymoron but we need a new global conversation which engages all nuclear-armed states en route to disarmament. Is there such a thing as a responsible nuclear-armed state in the 21st century? If so, what does it look like?
Analysis
Trident – weak defence
The Conservative-led government of austerity Britain is facing the sacrifice of its sacred cow of high military spending—to preserve the even more precious elephant in the room: the UK’s ‘independent’ nuclear weapon.
As we scrutinise government spending, it’s time to review Trident
Left Foot Forward published an article by BASIC Executive Director, Paul Ingram.
The article can be read here: http://leftfootforward.org/2015/03/as-we-scrutinise-government-spending-its-time-to-review-trident/
The sustainability of the P5 process and expectations for London
The United Kingdom will play host this week to the United States, France, China and Russia for a meeting of the “P5 Process”. This is the last meeting of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nuclear weapon states (NWS) prior to the NPT Review Conference this April. These states have been meeting for five years and the pressure is on to demonstrate concrete evidence that a multilateral approach can achieve some progress in meeting disarmament obligations. But is the “P5 Process” sustainable, and if so, what should we realistically expect from the London meeting?
Britain’s Trident “Nuclear Deterrent”: Instruments of Armageddon
In this article, Jim McCluskey cites the report from the Trident Commission regarding Britain's deterrent's reliance on “American goodwill.”
Read the full article here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/britains-trident-nuclear-deterrent-instruments-of-armageddon/5428213
Multilateralism – is the end in sight?
The P5 process was a British attempt to spark multilateral nuclear disarmament. It should no longer be accepted as an excuse for inaction.
Election 2015: finally our chance to ditch Trident
BASIC Executive Director Paul Ingram wrote an article in The Ecologist about Trident in the upcoming general election.
Read the full article here: http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/2725836/election_2015_finally_our_chance_to_ditch_trident.html
Britain and America: Drifting Apart?
Alex Stevenson, in this Politics.co.uk article, wrote about the relationship between the US and the UK, citing nuclear weapons as one of the connections. The article quotes Paul Ingram, Executive Director of BASIC, saying, “If there was a narrative that emerged that with limited resources the British need to focus their attention on capabilities that are more valuable to the Americans, that group-think could shift quite quickly.”