According to the most recent estimate by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), the world's combined stockpile of nuclear warheads stands at more than 17,000. The US and Russia have over 93% of the world's nuclear weapons, with about 1,800 on high alert, ready to unleash their devastating explosive power against each other at short notice.
Content Type
TacNukes News No. 5
1. TNW and Confidence and Security Building Measures 2. The Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative at…
Considering future US-Russian arms control & global dynamics
This week Moscow hosts an international security conference that will focus on the future of missile defense, more specifically, the need for effective US reassurances that it will never undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent, and the possibility of cooperation on the issue.
Moscow Roundtable: Prospects for Russian-US Arms Control
On Thursday May 16th, BASIC co-sponsored a roundtable in Moscow with the Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS), Arms Control Association (ACA), the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH) on new prospects for Russian-US Arms Control.
Open Ended Working Group
Geneva saw something new this week: actual constructive conversation about nuclear weapons. The United Nations established the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in its current form in 1978, expecting it to be the main forum for disarmament negotiations for a number of different types of weapons, including nuclear weapons. But the rules of the CD–limited membership, any one member can block action–have caused its work on nuclear weapons to stagnate for 20 years.
The French White Paper on Defence and National Security
The fourth French White Paper on Defence has just been unveiled on April 29th (five months delayed). In the end, it is an unremarkable, short document, whose political and military value may be questioned.
A chance to make progress on FM(C)T?
The UN Conference on Disarmament (CD) begins its second session of the year this week, convening from May 13th until June 28th. Attempts in the CD to open negotiations on a treaty banning fissile materials for nuclear weapons use have been sitting in stalemate for, quite literally, decades.
Scotland: Trident and the independence debate
“Should Scotland be an independent country”? That is the sole question Scotland’s four million voters will be asked in a referendum on 18 September, 2014 – the outcome of which will determine the future of their (or as a Scot myself, based in Washington, I should say “our”) country. A hugely complex question wrapped up in six arguably simple words. Should Scotland be an independent country: yes; or, no?