Top diplomatic editor to head BASIC team in Washington

Anne Penketh has covered diplomatic and disarmament issues in the US, nuclear weapon states, Iran and North Korea

BASIC is pleased to announce that Anne Penketh, long-time Diplomatic Editor at The Independent in London, will be leading BASIC\’s Washington team working to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Anne is an international journalist who has covered diplomatic and disarmament issues for many years with first hand, on-the-ground experience of the US, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Paul Ingram, Executive Director of BASIC, says:

“Anne brings a long and distinguished record reporting on disarmament and broader global strategic relationships. BASIC is extremely fortunate to have Anne in Washington, a move that will strengthen our transatlantic operation and deepen our ability to represent the importance of the global nuclear disarmament agenda to key groups in Washington – in the Administration, on Capitol Hill and in the media – and the perspectives of key allies in supporting these moves.”

Anne Penketh says:

“With a new President articulating a visionary agenda, it is an exciting time to be active on this most critical global issue in Washington. There are many challenges facing us on this agenda over the coming months, and it is a privilege to be working on them with BASIC.”

Anne was a reporter at the Reykjavik summit in 1986 between Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev and their vision of a nuclear weapon-free world is once again shaping global disarmament negotiations. She has been posted in Moscow, Paris, London and at the United Nations in New York. She spent much of her career steeped in the nitty-gritty of disarmament treaties, learning the language of START, INF and the CFE. In recent years she has continued to work on disarmament and non-proliferation issues including covering the standoff at the UN over Iraq\’s WMD, and over Iran\’s nuclear program. She has interviewed both Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei on these issues, and accompanied Kofi Annan on a trip to Washington. Her UN experience has provided an essential insight into multilateral negotiations, including the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

BASIC is focusing its transatlantic resources on the targeted promotion of the steps toward a nuclear weapon free world and toward effective multilateral nuclear nonproliferation. With a growing and committed staff, and active network of Board members, influential Advisers, former staff and Patrons on both sides of the Atlantic working to a common purpose, BASIC is unique. We have excellent access in London, which has value not only in itself, but also in encouraging policy progress on nuclear disarmament in Washington. Believing these issues are critically influenced by transatlantic relationships, we have taken important steps since launching our Getting to Zero program in November 2007 to play to our strength and maximize our transatlantic impact, in both our operations and in building up our team structure.

Anne Penketh starts with BASIC on 1st August 2009. This is a new post, designed specifically to raise the profile of BASIC in Washington.

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