This week marks the fifth anniversary of the first Wall Street Journal op-ed from the four former US politicians, often known as the “Gang of Four”, that opened up the recent movement pulling together establishment support for serious moves towards multilateral nuclear disarmament.
Nuclear security
Nuke Abolition: Modernisation of Atomic Arsenal Acquiring Priority
BASIC's publication, “Beyond the United Kingdom,” has been summarized and quoted in this Global Perspectives article. The original report, authored by Ian Kearns, outlines trends among nuclear weapon states and addresses global security issues which may drive nuclear proliferation.
News Backgrounder: North Korea and Nuclear Weapons
The sudden death of North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-Il, from a heart attack has naturally raised questions about the transition in the isolated nuclear-armed state as power is handed to his youngest son Kim Jong-Un believed to be in his late twenties.
The Future of NATO’s Nuclear Weapons
Amb. Rolf Nikel explains Germany's approach to questions surrounding tactical nuclear weapons based in Europe in light of NATO's Strategic Concept, and Deterrence and Defense Posture reviews.
Iran Update: Number 153
- IAEA to release more data on suspected weapons activities related to Iran’s nuclear program; Tensions flare during annual member state gathering
- Tel Aviv and London ratchet up talk of military strike on Iran
This Week – NATO Ministerial
NATO’s defence ministers meet in Brussels this week (Wednesday-Thursday), and will discuss a number of priorities for NATO. Longer term planning and the Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) is likely to be eclipsed, in public at least, by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces’ last desperate attempts to resist the transfer of power and the role NATO has in the coming months, by the plans for withdrawal from Afghanistan and by the debates over NATO’s missile defense plans and proposals for cooperation with Russia.
A South Asian Nuclear Reconciliation?
South Asia is often cited as the most intractable bilateral nuclear dispute on the planet. Even setting aside the divisive issue of Kashmir, the dispute between India and Pakistan has the added complexity that it involves at root the very identity of the two states.
Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe
An event at the Brookings Institution tomorrow will highlight the future of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.
Senior Fellow Steven Pifer, director of the Arms Control Initiative at Brookings, will discuss his recent paper “NATO, Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control”, which sets out recommendations to achieve the eventual removal of the estimated 180 B61 gravity bombs in five European countries. He will be joined on the panel by experts Hans Kristensen, from the Federation of American Scientists, and Frank Miller of the Scowcroft Group.