In the early 1980s, a number of educators and organizations sought to bring a highly controversial issue back into American classrooms: nuclear weapons. Unlike their parents’ generation, students would not be learning how to “duck and cover” in the event of a nuclear attack but would discuss the choices involved in averting nuclear warfare.
Content Type
Did Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki Save Lives?
An article written by Ward Wilson, a seniron fellow at BASIC was published in the Diplomat. The article talks about the utility of nuclear weapons and the rationale for keeping them.
Do not let the Helsinki conference on a Mideast WMD-Free Zone fall off the “to-do” list
If Russia, the UK, and the US – as the co-conveners of the Helsinki conference on a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East – had a priority list of foreign policy agenda items, convening such a conference would likely be hidden somewhere on pages 4 or 5 of a double-sided document, printed in 11 pt. Calibri font. Even among key stakeholders, the mounting crises in the region might reduce the diplomatic impetus for convening the conference, at least within the intended deadline of “as soon as possible” and certainly before the 2015 NPT Review Conference.
The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Ward Wilson: A World Without Nukes
Ward Wilson (Author of Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons), a senior fellow at BASIC was featured in an interview with Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss how certain myths about nuclear weapons have shaped nuclear policy, and what steps can be taken to create a nuclear-free world.
UK Stays Silent on Nuclear-Arms Pact Extension with United States
Paul Ingram was quoted in this GSN article on the secrecy surrounding the U.S.-UK Mutual Defense Agreement:
“With the deepening of technical collaboration that shapes the procurement decisions here in London over nuclear weapons program, in a manner that stretches or breaks Article 1 of the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty], it is high time we took this relationship and its consequences for international security seriously.”
TacNukes News No. 10
TacNukes News summarizes recent developments and resources covering tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) in Europe. In this edition of TacNukes News, the political and security environment relevant to making progress on tactical nuclear weapons arms control continued to deteriorate as Russia-U.S. relations worsened and the Ukraine crisis showed no signs of winding down.
UK-US sign secret new deal on nuclear weapons
BASIC's Executive Director, Paul Ingram was quoted in an article about the Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) signed between US and UK officials.
Here's what he said: “With the deepening of technical collaboration that shapes the procurement decisions here in London over nuclear weapons programmes, in a manner that stretches or breaks Article 1 of the NPT, it is high time we took this relationship and its consequences for international security seriously.”
What’s ahead for the United States and the United Kingdom?
Tomorrow the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee will host a hearing on the P5+1 negotiations with Iran. Witnesses will include Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and the U.S.’ lead negotiator on the Iran nuclear talks, and David Cohen, the Treasury Department's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Last weekend the six-month deadline (July 20th) for the interim Joint Plan of Action passed without a final deal being reached.