A couple of events in Washington this week arising from a new report will focus attention anew on the presence of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, as NATO foreign and defence ministers prepare to meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of next month’s NATO summit.
Europe
BASIC News: update on activities January-February 2012
BASIC kicked off 2012 by engaging experts, elites, journalists and students in Egypt. BASIC continued its work for the Trident Commission, and engaged with Track II participants on Iran’s nuclear program, in separate meetings in the United Kingdom.
BASIC 2011 Annual Activities Report
There was overwhelming momentum seen in 2010 on the international stage with numerous initiatives on arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, and disarmament. Unfortunately, this momentum was not as evident in 2011, as it seemed as though the international focus had shifted. Nevertheless, BASIC’s tempo was itself maintained into 2011 as we attempted to play our role in returning the focus to effective efforts to achieve nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in the United Kingdom, United States, Middle East, and Europe.
New Sanctions Aimed at Averting Wider Conflict
BASIC's program director, Anne Penketh, was quoted by Barbara Slavin of IPS news agency in an article about new European sanctions against Iran and the consequential impact in Europe and in the Middle East.
Iran Update: Number 154
- Iran invites IAEA to visit; latest Board of Directors report more detailed and critical
- Attack on the British Embassy in Tehran
- European efforts to coordinate sanctions
- New U.S. sanctions package targets Iran’s Central Bank and oil sector
A Visit to Moscow: Disarmament, Arms Control, the Role of Nuclear Weapons, and NATO-Russia Strategic Dialogue
From 28-30 November 2011, BASIC executive director Paul Ingram travelled to Moscow and participated in several meetings on nuclear arms control with a focus on tactical nuclear weapons, in order to reach out to Russian officials and parliamentarians to discuss next steps in arms control and disarmament.
New START anniversary and old nuclear baggage
Thursday of this week marks the first anniversary of the U.S. Senate’s vote in favor of ratifying the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which established verifiable limits on Russian and U.S. strategic nuclear weapons.
NATO Needs to Act on Nuclear Policy
NATO foreign ministers meet, less than six months before the summit in Chicago. They have a full agenda, not least the debates over the management of withdrawal from Afghanistan and discussing lessons from the Libya experience.