This paper highlights the main themes arising from a roundtable discussion held on July 25th, 2013 in Washington, D.C., which brought a small group of experts together with representatives from a number of NATO member states to discuss the future of NATO’s nuclear posture and engagement with Russia on arms control and nuclear weapons.
Modernisation
Why is NATO Stuck?
The recent publication of Nuclear Policy Paper No. 14, Countdown to Chaos?, marks the completion of a series of cooperative reports by BASIC, the Arms Control Association (ACA) and the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH) on NATO’s nuclear weapons and their future.
Trident Alternatives: The Pod Delusion, Episode 196 – 19th July 2013
Paul Ingram was interviewed for the July 19th episode of the Pod Delusion, which focuses on the Trident Alternatives Review and the UK's nuclear policy debate.
Listen to the podcast on the Pod Delusion's website:
http://poddelusion.co.uk/blog/2013/07/18/episode-196-19th-july-2013/
Commentary on the UK Trident Alternatives Review, July 16, 2013
The government published its Trident Alternatives Review earlier today. BASIC has released a short briefing as an immediate response. BASIC will later this year be publishing the results of the Trident Commission, considering the broader issues that form the context of the decision.
NEW REPORT: Trident in UK Politics and Public Opinion
BASIC releases today a new report examining Trident in UK politics and public opinion on nuclear weapons, involving a comprehensive review of the polls over the last eight years and including two new polls released today. This comes on the eve of the publication of the government’s Trident Alternatives Report (TAR), to be published on Tuesday and debated in Parliament on Wednesday. The BASIC report is intended to complement the TAR with the political and public opinion context.
U.K. Finds ‘Credible’ Alternatives to Submarine Nukes Won’t Come Cheap
Elaine Grossman interviews BASIC's Paul Ingram and Rebecca Cousins for this article about the findings of the UK government's Trident Alternatives Review and the implications for the nuclear debate in Britain.
Read the full article on the Global Security Newswire:
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/uk-finds-credible-alternatives-submarine-nukes-wont-come-cheap/
Cutting back Britain’s nuclear submarine fleet would be huge gamble with the nation’s security, claims Defence Secretary
The Daily Record referenced BASIC's recent report, 'Trident in UK Politicis and Public Opinion', in this article which highlights the political divide on the Trident debate between the UK main parties.
Read the full article on the Daily Record's website:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/cutting-back-britains-nuclear-submarine-2056750
The British Trident debate: an opportunity for progress?
Whether you support or oppose them, nuclear weapons have become an entrenched part of the British security discussion, with periods of major debate – in the 1960s and 1980s especially – leaving a lasting impact on the national psyche. But it’s rare that we have the chance to see governments – in the UK or elsewhere – step back and engage in truly forward-thinking, public consideration of why that is the case, and what the alternatives might be. This could be one of those moments for the UK. Could. Whether it will or not, remains to be seen.