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.
2015
Preserving the character of the nation: British military attitudes to nuclear weapons
What are the views of the British military on nuclear weapons today? How can we answer this question given both the different actors and institutions and the level of secrecy surrounding this issue? Moreover, why should those supportive of non-proliferation and disarmament, or anyone else- especially given the political nature of these weapons- care what the military thinks?
UK nuclear weapons – a source of insecurity?
The UK doggedly maintains an ‘independent nuclear deterrent’ but a naval officer has blown the whistle on the system’s inherent insecurity—with its potentially incalculable implications.
UK Nuclear Policy Now: Questions Remain
The Conservatives fought the election with a clear policy of like-for-like renewal of the Trident nuclear weapon system, and now have a majority in Parliament and fully control the government. The Labour Party also contested the election on a similar policy. If there was any doubt prior to the election that Trident renewal would go ahead, it is surely answered unequivocally now.
Radio Sputnik interview with Paul Ingram
BASIC’s Executive Director Paul Ingram was interviewed by Radio Sputnik. Paul addressed the US relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council in light of the Iran deal.
US Must Avoid ‘Quick Fixes’ in Gulf Security
This week on May 13-14, President Obama will be meeting with the heads of state or their deputies from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries at the White House and Camp David, in meetings that could have important lasting impacts on US relations throughout the region, the prospects for regional security and for nuclear non-proliferation.
Constructive Ideas Needed to Avoid a Nuclear Middle East
The prime purpose of the NPT and its review conferences is to bring the international community together in a joint enterprise to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons and work towards eliminating nuclear weapons in their entirety.
Finding Nuclear Hope Beyond New York
States are half way through their second week at the NPT Review Conference (it lasts four), and the UN Secretary General has observed that the gulf between the five NPT nuclear weapon states and the 185 non-nuclear weapon states is growing wider, threatening the stability of the wider non-proliferation regime.