Today, UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is at the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland to announce another contract (worth £350m) for BAE Systems, part of the £3bn of projects that will be spent on development and initial manufacture on the current like-for-like replacement before the final decision is taken on renewal in 2016.
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Cuban Missile Crisis 50th Anniversary
50 years ago this week, the world held its breath, waiting to see if nuclear armageddon would be averted, as the Cuban Missile Crisis reached its climax.
Scotland: questioning nuclear weapons and NATO membership
UK Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in Edinburgh today to sign a historic deal that will see a legally-binding referendum vote on the single question of full independence for Scotland within the next two years.
BASIC News: July – September 2012
Organizational changes
Washington, DC
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.
Paul Ingram and BASIC featured in EU Non-Proliferation Consortium
BASIC's executive director, Paul Ingram, was interviewd for 'nonproliferation.eu', the monthly newsletter from the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium. The interview focused on BASIC's work in support of the establishment of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East and how civil society can contribue to the debate. BASIC is hosting a track II meeting in coordination with the Finnish Ambassador, Jaakko Laajava and his team for the end of October in support of the Helsinki Conference to create a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, due to take place in the next few months.
Former UK Diplomat To Head Up BASIC Team In Washington
BASIC is pleased to announce that Rebecca Cousins, former British diplomat, will be leading BASIC’s Washington team as Program Director, working with policy-shapers of diverse perspectives to achieve greater consensus on realistic measures that strengthen nuclear non-proliferation and secure moves towards global nuclear disarmament.