BASIC Senior Fellow Ward Wilson was interviewed on Russia Today to discuss the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. While the conventional narrative claims that the gruesome event led to the capitulation of Japan and the end of WWII, new evidence suggests that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not decisive. What implications does this have for the strategy of nuclear deterrence and the value of nuclear weapons in modern geopolitics?
Programmes
American Exceptionalism and the Folly of Hiroshima
“Seventy years ago, the world fell under the shadow of a nuclear Armageddon, under which it has been living ever since. On August 6 1945, a US B-29 bomber, the “Enola Gay,” dropped the world’s first atomic bomb, innocently named “Little Boy,” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima….” writes Ward Wilson for Sputnik News.
Read the full article on Sputnik News' website here.
What If Hiroshima Did Not Force the Japanese to Surrender?
You may hear a lot this week that the bombing of Hiroshima was a turning point for humanity – the most important historic event of the 20th century, ushering in the nuclear age. From that moment on, 70 years ago, humans had to come to terms with the fact that we could cause our own devastation along with the majority of large species inhabiting this planet.
A breakthrough for Iranian fanatics
Iranian radicals who see themselves on the front line against Zionism and the Great Satan are on tenterhooks this summer. Iran, a weak middle-power country often itself isolated from the rest of the world, could succeed in dealing a huge blow to the credibility of the most powerful state on the planet, and with it the positive values it represents.
Iran Deal: Now We Must Change Direction
This nuclear deal is a good one for an international community that desperately needs strong assurance when it comes to nuclear non-proliferation.
Consider the alternative: what opposition to the Iran nuclear deal could signal
The deal is at last concluded over Iran’s nuclear program, lifting many economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States, European Union and United Nations in return for long term curbs on the country’s nuclear program and the most extensive long-term verification and inspections regime ever accepted by a state.
Where is the UK government’s nuclear weapons policy heading?
Whichever way you look at it, it seems that the fiscal hawks and disarmament doves have been blown out of the sky and have sunk into a deep blue ocean where the Trident Successor programme stares them head-on.
Meet the Next Generation of Policy Shapers: Insights & Findings
Between October 2014 and March 2015 as part of the Next Generation Shapers project, BASIC hosted a series of discussions with US and UK based policy students and young professionals with different interests and areas of expertise.