The Gender, Think-Tanks and International Affairs Toolkit has been jointly developed and published by BASIC,…
Latest Publications
Read our latest publications, from January 2018 onwards.
Looking Beyond ‘Manels’
President-elect Joe Biden made a passionate case for the nomination of retired General Lloyd Austin as his…
New opportunity: Studentship in collaboration with the University of Leeds
We are proud to announce that we will be partnering with the University of Leeds and Dr Laura Considine on an ESRC-funded PhD examining the impact of an increasing focus on gender in nuclear weapons policy making
London Living Wage
We are proud to announce that we are accredited as London Living Wage employers, joining…
Introducing: Our New Team Members
In November, we expanded our team with the addition of two new staff members, Emily…
Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities Launches Major Report at the UN First Committee 2020
The BASIC-ICCS launch of ‘Nuclear Responsibilities’ hosted a line-up of expert speakers and a Q&A session to discuss the aims and achievements of the Programme.
Strategic Upheaval, Overhyped, or Something in Between? Forecasting the Relative Impacts of Cyber and Space Technologies
This is an extract from an article written by Marina Favaro and published by the…
Opinion: More Continuity Than Change? US Nuclear Weapons Policy Under a Biden or Trump Administration
Whether Americans vote Democrat or Republican on 3 November, there will likely be much continuity in US nuclear weapons policy, despite declarations in campaigning.
Report: Nuclear Responsibilities – A New Approach for Thinking and Talking about Nuclear Weapons
We seek in this report to suggest ways, and crucially propose a new method, to gradually shift the nature of the contemporary global conversation on nuclear weapons away from one characterised by rights, blame, and suspicion towards one framed by responsibility, empathic cooperation, and even trust.
Event Recording: Nuclear Responsibilities: A New Approach for Thinking and Talking about Nuclear Weapons (2 November 2020)
This is the recording of the launch of BASIC and ICCS’ report Nuclear Responsibilities:…
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Meeting on New START Extension Prospects
If not extended by the US and Russia by February 2021, the New START Treaty…
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 (AP) 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. This decision appears to go against the core responsibility of government – to do all in its power to defend the territorial integrity of the state. But in fact, it reveals a more holistic sense of security, in which vital interests are seen as wrapped up in the wider interests of a strong and cohesive international community.
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. To see our completed programmes, visit our archive.
Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities Launches Major Report at the UN First Committee 2020
The BASIC-ICCS launch of ‘Nuclear Responsibilities’ hosted a line-up of expert speakers and a Q&A session to discuss the aims and achievements of the Programme.
Strategic Upheaval, Overhyped, or Something in Between? Forecasting the Relative Impacts of Cyber and Space Technologies
This is an extract from an article written by Marina Favaro and published by the…
Opinion: More Continuity Than Change? US Nuclear Weapons Policy Under a Biden or Trump Administration
Whether Americans vote Democrat or Republican on 3 November, there will likely be much continuity in US nuclear weapons policy, despite declarations in campaigning.
UAE, Israel and the F-35: Prospects for a Strategic Alliance amidst Growing Threat Perceptions
This article was authored by Dina Saadallah, Security Analyst. On 13 August 2020 a joint…
North Korea and Denuclearisation: What Are the Obstacles, and What’s Next?
This article was authored by Edward Howell at the University of Oxford. The US State…
Pandemic Chronicles: Echos of History in the COVID-19 Response for the Navajo Nation
During the Cold War, hundreds of Navajos developed cancer and respiratory illness as a result…
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.
To view all of our Analysis content, visit the Analysis page by clicking here.