The world is getting restless with some states' attachment to nuclear weapons. So why is Britain going out of its way to deepen its nuclear relationship with the United States?
Analysis
Taking stock of the Ukraine crisis’ impact on the prospects for nuclear disarmament in Europe and wider arms control processes.
The crisis in Ukraine and its peculiar nuclear dimension has come to epitomise the features of the strategic politics in Europe.
US, the UK secretly renew nuclear treaty
This article quotes Paul Ingram on the Mutual Defense Agreement (MDA) between the US and UK:
“The manifestation of the deep political, cultural, and philosophical relationship between [the US and the UK]”
“[But] how can it possibly be effective to criticize North Korea for allegedly supplying nuclear and missile technology to states like Syria and Iran when we trade between ourselves technologies directly relevant to constructing nuclear warheads, missiles, and submarines?”
The government faces difficult questions on Trident after the election
This article was written by Paul Ingram and was published on the Left Foot Forward. The article talks about the decisions the British government has to face over Trident after the Scottish referendum.
Nuclear weapons deal with US renewed in secret, UK confirms
Paul Ingram was quoted in an article about the UK's confirmation about renewing the Mutual Delfence Agreement (MDA) with the United States.
He said: “In governing exceptional nuclear weapon collaboration between the US and UK that has contested legal basis, the MDA is the manifestation of the deep political, cultural and philosophical relationship between the two states.”
Can NATO be saved from strategic obscurity?
Despite a renewed sense of purpose with a change in leadership and the crisis in Ukraine, the alliance continues to court its own irrelevancy.
Prospects for Agreement with Iran
The negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities between Iran and its Western interlocutors – the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – on Iran’s nuclear activities are under way in New York again with no one optimistic about the immediate outcome.
Trident – a liability the UK can ill afford to keep
If Scotland votes yes for independence this week, the chances of the UK having to disarm its nuclear arsenal rise dramatically–and the global non-proliferation regime needs just such a shot in the arm. But even a close no vote should be cause for reassessment over the future of Trident.