NATO’s Chicago Summit in May provided the Alliance with its second opportunity in two years to re-think the presence of U.S. theatre nuclear weapons in Europe, but for the second consecutive time, NATO failed. In this report, BASIC policy consultant, Ted Seay, examines key decisions made (and not made) in Chicago, in relation to the future of NATO's nuclear sharing arrangements and the Alliance as a whole.
Strategic Stability
Anglo-American (In)Dependence
Americans celebrate their Independence Day on Wednesday. It has been 236 years since they broke away from Great Britain, but the pair remain two of the closest allies in the world. But just how special is the so-called ‘special relationship’, and how much does this depend upon the cooperation between their nuclear weapons communities?
Iran Update: Number 160
- Moscow talks leave both parties frustrated
- Latest IAEA-Iran talks end without making progress; Iran produces fuel plates for reactor
- Putin proposes Iranian involvement in Syria crisis
- Iran announces development of nuclear-powered submarine
- Iranian and British representatives hold difficult bi-lateral meeting
Country Reports
Read below to get the most up to date Getting to Zero country reports or click the links below for a chronological history.
Country Report: Russia
While the Russia and the United States have signed and ratified the New START Treaty and have started making strategic cuts to their nuclear arsenals, there is still much work to be done getting to zero by breaking free of Cold War theories of nuclear security and deterrence. BASIC monitors Russia's nuclear policies and shifts in politics on ballistic missile defence, tactical nuclear weapons, and deterrence policy in its Getting to Zero updates. Read the summaries below in reverse chronological order.
Country Report: United States
Under legal obligations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the United States must make continuous efforts towards nuclear disarmament, and yet, the U.S. continues to make plans to modernize their nuclear forces. BASIC monitors the nuclear policies and the nuclear reduction efforts of the United States in our Getting to Zero updates. Read the summaries below in reverse chronological order.
Threat of Sequestration
The House of Representatives resumes debate tomorrow on the energy and water appropriations bill which covers nuclear weapons and the non-proliferation program of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
NATO Continues Dangerous Delays over Nuclear Decisions
Paul Ingram's piece on NATO's contradictions on nuclear deployments and delayed decisions on nuclear weapons was featured on the website of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Ingram highlights that NATO members are divided on how they view relations with Russia and “the Alliance is failing to recognize that the Cold War is over, and so it lives with a cancerous contradiction”.