Under legal obligations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the United States must make continuous efforts towards nuclear disarmament, and yet, the U.S. continues to make plans to modernize their nuclear forces. BASIC monitors the nuclear policies and the nuclear reduction efforts of the United States in our Getting to Zero updates. Read the summaries below in reverse chronological order.
Publication
Iran’s Nuclear Impasse: Breaking the Deadlock
This report, published by Oxford Research Group, is based upon a series of consultations with individuals close to the decision making process on the Iranian nuclear file with the aim of envisioning a workable and realistic solution to the impasse. It looks into the principles that need to be observed in talks between the E3+3 and Iran over the coming months if they are to have any chance of success.
NATO military budget: together, slim is better
John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, wrote an op-ed for the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung on NATO's defense 'obesity problem'. This was based on his presentation to the Shadow NATO Summit III in Washington D.C. earlier in May.
Strategic Dialogue on Nuclear Deterrence
The British American Security Information Council in association with the Hudson Institute held a Strategic Dialogue breakfast on May 8, 2012 in Washington, DC.
NATO’s Deterrence and Defence Posture Review and the Future of Nuclear Weapons
This report is a synthesis of an expert roundtable discussion held in Paris on the Alliance's approach to nuclear arms control. The Arms Control Association, BASIC, the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy Hamburg, and the Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategique, jointly organized this event two months before NATO's conclusion of its Deterrence and Defense Posture Review and the upcoming summit in Chicago.
Themes arising from the BASIC Workshop in Doha
About 50 participants – representatives of Gulf states and experts from the region, and U.S. and European experts and officials, exchanged views on Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Gulf during a conference on March 21st and 22nd. The workshop highlighted a number of themes, including: justice and rights, disarmament, universality and the health of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Iran.
Norway’s Approach to NATO’s Deterrence and Defence Posture Review
NATO is currently debating its nuclear posture as part of the Deterrence and Defence Posture Review, for discussion at the May 2012 Chicago summit. This could have an important bearing on the future direction for NATO – an Alliance bent on maintaining superior and comprehensive capabilities, or one that plays a proactive role in multilateral disarmament.
Prospects for progress on Iran’s nuclear file
The stand-off over Iran’s nuclear programme is fraught with danger, with Israel and U.S. presidential candidates urging tougher action. Military action poses an inherent risk to the global non-proliferation regime, in particular if it were unilateral action by Israel, a non-NPT state acting to punish a member-state for apparently transgressing it.