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Trident given a vote of confidence – for now

The Trident Commission, spearheaded by BASIC, launched its concluding report on July 1st, and it is expected to add significant value to the debate on whether or not to keep Britain’s nuclear deterrent. An article in The Telegraph finds that the Commission's ultimate conclusion, that the UK should keep a nuclear deterrent is valid and argues against the position that Continuous at Sea Deterrence could be scaled back by cutting the number of submarines from four to three.

Keeping Trident nuclear weapons ‘in UK’s national interest’

The launch of the Trident Commission's concluding report on July 1st sparked a significant amount of media interest. This BBC article summarizes the key findings of the Commission and highlights the finding that if the UK commits to multilateral disarmament, Continuous at Sea Deterrence could be relaxed in future.

Read the full article by the BBC here.

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Let’s Call It a Bargaining Chip

Referring to Israel’s nuclear program as a bargaining chip is not a breakthrough idea. Scholars have argued before that in lieu of having a “deterrence policy that does not deter,” Israel might perceive its nuclear arsenal as a bargaining chip to negotiate with its Arab counterparts over regional security issues, including around a WMD-free zone in the Middle East.

The case for complexity

Football, the modern-day opiate of the masses, is a simple passionate game of two teams and one simple, generally zero-sum result. We have a winner and loser; even drawn matches contribute to victory and defeat in the tournament. In attempting to make meaning out of the complexity of regional and sub-regional conflict by reducing it to the binaries of the football pitch, we often make monumental errors.

NATO: Slipping Into Confrontation

NATO defense ministers met in Brussels to discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal and Russia’s actions in Crimea and Ukraine. There are calls for stronger security assurances within the alliance, especially from countries near Russia. President Obama has pledged increased US military presence in Europe. However, NATO’s role remains focused on military rather than cooperative security strategies, which heightens tensions with Russia. This approach risks moving towards a competitive relationship rather than fostering mutual security.