BASIC is gravely concerned by recent military actions involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, which risk triggering a volatile regional conflict in the Middle East, as well as the potential for global economic upheaval through oil market and trade disruption.
Israel
Why the Israeli Policy of Nuclear Ambiguity is Harmful for Prospects of a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East
The Israeli policy of nuclear ambiguity is perhaps one of the most controversial nuclear policies today, and is the subject of some criticism by other states in the Middle East and nuclear disarmament activists.
Israel and the Arab States’ positions in international discussions concerning disarmament
Israel’s demand for peace, recognition and solidarity before the achievement of a WMD Free Zone is a tall bar to progress and fails to appreciate how further steps towards disarmament would contribute to improving the current security context of the Middle East.
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.
After Netanyahu’s Speech: Will the U.S. Give Diplomacy A Chance?
On Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to United States Congress members urging them to block any deal with Iran on its nuclear program and raise support for more sanctions against the nation.
Arabs & Israelis meet again – good news or bad news?
On June 24-25, representatives from Middle Eastern states, including Israel and Egypt, will meet in Geneva for the second time in the past two months to discuss the modalities and possible outcomes of the postponed 2012 Helsinki conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
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.