BASIC is organising an online conference on Risk Reduction in the Arctic, on Thursday 10th November 2022.
Latest Publications
Read our latest publications, from January 2018 onwards.
How We Took Nuclear Weapons from the Public: And Why it is Time to Give Them Back
Daniel Allen discusses the representation of nuclear weapons in popular media and their role in providing the impetus for robust, long-overdue, public discourse.
Event: The Search for Nuclear Justice
On 17th April at 10am BST, BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network (EVN) and the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) are hosting an webinar on ‘The Search for Nuclear Justice’.
Report: Crisis Prevention and Management in South Asia: Mutual Confidence, Risk, and Responsibility
‘Crisis Prevention and Management in South Asia: Mutual Confidence, Risk, and Responsibility’ emerged from a series of dialogues with the Indian and Pakistani nuclear policy communities at the Track 2 / 1.5 level held by the BASIC-ICCS Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities in 2023-2024.
EVN Away Day: The Student/Young Pugwash Conference 27/01/2024
On Saturday the 27th of January, several EVN Members presented at the 7th annual SYP Conference at King’s College London titled: “Artificial Intelligence: implications for peace and security”. Read the report on the EVN Member Presentations.
Summary of APPG Meeting: Does Britain’s Deterrent Policy Need Updating?
On 22nd November 2023, the APPG on Global Security and Non-Proliferation hosted an APPG meeting, ‘Does Britain’s Deterrent Policy Need Updating?’, chaired by Lord David Hannay of Chiswick.
Summary of APPG Meeting: The 2023 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy
On 28th March 2023, the APPG on Global Security and Non-proliferation hosted an APPG meeting on the ‘2023 Integrated Review’, chaired by Lord David Hannay of Chiswick.
Call for Interest: Community of Practice: Gender and Nuclear Weapons: Measuring the Impact
BASIC is convening of a Community of Practice (CoP), tasked with measuring the impact of existing approaches to gender in the nuclear policy field. We are look for 15-20 professionals to join us in measuring the impact of existing approaches to gender in the nuclear policy field.
Report: Arctic Diplomacy at a Crossroads
‘Arctic Diplomacy at a Crossroads: Addressing Present and Future Geopolitical and Strategic Risk’ was written…
BASIC Brief: Burevestnik
A BASIC Brief on Russia’s development of the Burevestnik nuclear powered cruise missile – what is it, how does it work, and does it change the strategic calculus?
Video: Humanitarian Impacts and the NPT: ‘One Year on from RevCon’
On Thursday 14th September, BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network (EVN) hosted a webinar event, on Humanitarian Impacts and the NPT: ‘One Year on from RevCon’, in collaboration with International Student Young Pugwash (ISYP) and IPPNW Students.
Video: Compendium Discussion: Crisis Communications: Indian and Pakistani Perspectives on Responsible Practices
On Wednesday 23rd August, the BASIC-ICCS Nuclear Responsibilities Programme, in collaboration with the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR) and the Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (IPCS), hosted a virtual roundtable discussion of the Compendium ‘Crisis Communications: Indian and Pakistani Perspectives on Responsible Practices’.
Emerging Voices Network (EVN) Code of Conduct
The EVN Team and EVN Board have developed the Emerging Voices Network (EVN) Code of Conduct, which sets out the standards of behaviour that are expected of all members to ensure a culture of safety, inclusion, and professionalism for all.
Our most shared
BASIC is developing new approaches to overcome states’ dependency on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which blocks global nuclear disarmament and drives proliferation. We engage diverse perspectives, encourage empathy across states, and broaden the context of debate. We have an established reputation for non-partisan, non-judgmental, cross-cultural engagement and for seeking common ground.
Our current programmes are listed below. To see our completed programmes, visit our archive.
Phase 2.0 of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities
The Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities brings together Nuclear Weapon States and Non-Nuclear Weapon States to foster understanding and dialogue on the responsibilities of states and state leaders around nuclear weapons. Launched in 2016, the Programme is now moving into an exciting second phase – find out more here.
Report: How much does the UK spend on nuclear weapons?
This report draws upon a mixture of publicly available data and estimates in order to outline both the current operating costs of the Trident nuclear weapon system, as well as the estimated costs of the current plans to renew the UK’s nuclear arsenal.
Report: (Dis)Continuous Deterrence: Challenges to Britain’s Nuclear Doctrine
Despite strong rhetorical support on part of the government for Continuous At-Sea Deterrence (CASD), a real risk exists that CASD could be interrupted in the early 2030s.
BASIC Annual Report 2017
2017 was a tough year for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Read our latest Annual Report to find out how we worked towards creating a world free of the risk of nuclear weapons over now the course of 2017.
Report: Blowing up the Budget: The Cost Risk of Trident to UK Defence
BASIC’s new report illustrates in clear detail the cost risk of Trident renewal to the UK’s Defence budget; Dreadnought’s through life costs are likely to be between £110-114bn.
Report: Negative Security Assurances: The Test of Commitment to Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament?
Nuclear armed states already offer some limited and conditional guarantees (NSAs) that they will not threaten nuclear attack on other states that do not have nuclear weapons. This report looks at the opportunities there are in building upon these guarantees.
View by year
BASIC is developing new approaches to overcome states’ dependency on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which blocks global nuclear disarmament and drives proliferation.
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2017 Publications
Read our publications from last year. Our reports from this period include analysis of the implications of the Trump Administration on US nuclear policy, the risks posed by offensive cyber weapons to UK Trident submarines, and BASIC and UNA-UK’s call for UK leadership on disarmament and arms control at the multilateral level.
BASIC Annual Report 2017
2017 was a tough year for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Read our latest Annual Report to find out how we worked towards creating a world free of the risk of nuclear weapons over now the course of 2017.
Report: Changing Nuclear Weapons Policy in the Trump Era: Implications for Europe
President Trump’s emerging nuclear policy presents ‘extraordinary challenges to strategic stability, arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation within Europe’, and undermines European security. President Trump’s US Nuclear Posture Review is expected in the next two months.
Report: A Small Sacrifice for Security: Why Finland gave up its landmines
Finland joined the Antipersonnel Landmine Ban Treaty despite an overwhelming belief that their national defence doctrine depended upon the deployment of landmines, and the refusal of their neighbour Russia to participate.
Negative Security Assurances (June 2017 Briefing)
In the first of a new series of briefing papers from BASIC Executive Director, Paul Ingram, reviews Negative Security Assurances (NSAs) and their significance in the context of the Ban Treaty talks and beyond.
Report: Hacking UK Trident: A Growing Threat
This paper reviews the growing potential for cyber-attack on the UK’s operational fleet of Vanguard-class submarines armed with nuclear-tipped Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles, and some of the implications for strategic stability.
Report: Meaningful Multilateralism: 30 Nuclear Disarmament Proposals for the Next UK Government
In Meaningful Multilateralism, BASIC and UNA–UK offer 30 multilateral disarmament proposals for the incoming UK Government after the General Election on the 8th June, themed according to three types of leadership the UK has previously shown in disarmament.
Must reads
BASIC is developing new approaches to overcome states’ dependency on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which blocks global nuclear disarmament and drives proliferation. We engage diverse perspectives, encourage empathy across states, and broaden the context of debate. We have an established reputation for non-partisan, non-judgmental, cross-cultural engagement and for seeking common ground.
Our current programmes are listed below.
Report: Arctic Diplomacy at a Crossroads
‘Arctic Diplomacy at a Crossroads: Addressing Present and Future Geopolitical and Strategic Risk’ was written…
Understanding the ICJ’s Order on the Allegations of Genocide in Ukrainian Territory (Ukraine v. Russian Federation)
Flávia Salazar Sousa discusses the ruling from the ICJ in the case Ukraine v. Russian Federation on allegations of genocide under the Genocide Convention of 1948.
The Global South: Access to Nuclear Technologies and the Ban Treaty
In this blog piece, Professor Andrew Futter and Dr Olamide Samuel discuss the lack of focus on civilian nuclear energy and the Global South in analyses of the Ban Treaty.
Ukraine, Remote Interventionism, and the Stability-Instability Paradox: The Need to Re-Prioritise Nuclear Risk Reduction
Dr Simone Papale and Dr Chiara Cervasio discuss how Western remote interventionism to counter Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine validates the stability-instability paradox.
The Ukraine Crisis and Europe
The world appears to be looking to the United States to solve the current crisis…
Why Should Asia-Pacific States Implement the Stepping Stones Approach?
In her latest piece for BASIC, Emily Enright discusses the relevance of the Stepping Stones Approach to Asia-Pacific states in their disarmament work.
Joint Publications
Read some of our staff picks of BASIC’s best current and historic writing below.
Why we write
BASIC is developing new approaches to overcome states’ dependency on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which blocks global nuclear disarmament and drives proliferation. We engage diverse perspectives, encourage empathy across states, and broaden the context of debate. We have an established reputation for non-partisan, non-judgmental, cross-cultural engagement and for seeking common ground.