Richard Norton-Taylor writes about changing assumptions about nuclear deterrence and nuclear possession. He argues that treating Trident as an employment scheme will leave Britain ill-equipped for the real threat: terrorism. He references the BASIC Trident Commission's recent report by John Simpson:
Analysis
Almaty and Prague
This week, talks over Iran’s nuclear program will resume on Friday and Saturday, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Friday will also mark four years since President Barack Obama delivered his landmark speech in Prague, Czech Republic, where he called for a world free of nuclear weapons and outlined the details of how his first administration would handle nuclear weapons issues.
Deterrence, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and UK Trident
The BASIC Trident Commission is publishing its fourth briefing on Thursday, March 28. In this report, John Simpson outlines the emergence of Britain’s nuclear deterrence posture and thinking over the last seventy years, and how successive governments have sought to balance this with effective non-proliferation diplomacy.
Gulf states discuss non-proliferation, Iran, and the NPT
This week, BASIC is in Istanbul hosting our second conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Gulf. Decision shapers–including officials and experts–from the Gulf region, Iran, the UK, and the US are meeting to discuss the current state of global nuclear diplomacy and collective security in the region, the potential for nuclear proliferation in the Gulf and Middle East, the prospects of the establishment of a nuclear and WMD-free zone in the Middle East
Strategic Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons Spending: What Does the United States Need and Why?
BASIC held its fourth Strategic Dialogue event, asking Dr. Christopher Ford (Hudson Institute) and Amb. Steven Pifer (Brookings Institution) to reflect on how the United States should approach possible spending cuts to its nuclear forces.
The event was held in the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, for House and Senate staff members on January 18, 2013. BASIC would like to thank the House Armed Services Committee for venue access.
Listen to the event below.
Iran: the deescalatory options
Paul Ingram, BASIC's executive director, authored an article for OpenDemocracy on the tensions between Iran and the West, and the options for deescalating the threats of war. While many politicians in Washington and in the Middle East are calling for an attack on Iran, public opinion favors engagement and reaching a solution diplomatically. He writes, 'the key lies in building credible strategies that address the core interests of all sides in this conflict.'
Getting to Zero – Is Nuclear Abolition Desirable and/or Possible?
The International Security Network (ISN) published an article by BASIC's program support officer, Rachel Staley, on the possibility and desirability of nuclear abolition. The article concludes that while abolition may seem an arduous task, few governments would deny the link between non-proliferation and disarmament; if support for non-proliferation is there, there is an obligation to support global nuclear disarmament.
UN First Committee and NATO Defence Ministers meeting
The United Nations General Assembly First Committee opens today in New York, the UN forum for disarmament and international security affairs. Its month-long session contains an ambitious program of work, including discussion on nuclear weapons and other WMDs, in the weaponisation of space, conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, and disarmament machinery (conventions and treaties).