Heightened international tensions, ongoing regional conflicts and disputes, and unresolved security concerns have always led to a challenging atmosphere at NPT Review Conferences throughout the Treaty’s 45 years.
Modernisation
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.
Is it time to ban the bomb?
Yes, it is long past time to ban nuclear weapons. But will a treaty banning nuclear weapons be a productive step right now? It’s far from clear.
New Cold War
We tend to see new events as a continuation of past ones. The first automobiles were called “horseless carriages”. So the worsening of relations between Western Europe and Russia is called a “new Cold War”
The UK’s Next Leader is Going to Face Some Serious Questions on Nukes
In this Vice News article on the future of Trident, BASIC's Executive Director Paul Ingram is quoted, “The Ministry of Defense cannot afford Trident plus all of its other missions. So there is indeed a direct choice to be made between having a brand spanking new nuclear weapons system that nobody expects to use, or hope is never used, and being a country that has conventional forces that has relevance on the world stage.”
Will the New Government be Obliged to Renew Trident?
The efforts to question Ed Miliband's commitment to maintain a credible independent nuclear deterrent have failed to land with the electorate. But it would be a serious error to think that is down to the repeated assurances that a Labour government will follow through with full renewal of the system.
The Conservative Party’s Manifesto and Policy on Nuclear Weapons
After a calculated delay, the Conservative Party have today launched their 2015 General Election manifesto: ‘Strong leadership. A clear economic plan. A brighter, more secure future.’
The Labour Party’s manifesto and policy on nuclear weapons
With just 24 days to the polls, the public today got first sight of the Labour Party 2015 General Election manifesto titled ‘Britain can be better’