Anne Penketh: Edging towards a nuclear-free world

The stage is set for the signing in Prague of the first arms control treaty of the Obama era. It is the initial step on the road to the US President's declared goal of a world without nuclear weapons, which he vibrantly described in the Czech capital a year ago.

But now that the applause has died down after the US and Russia reached agreement on capping their deployed long-range nuclear weapons in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) follow-on pact, the treaty's limits have become apparent. T

Russia hails agreement on nuclear arms treaty

”If you look at the actual treaty, they are not going to be cutting up weapons. They are just not going to be deployed. It is quite a modest treaty. It is important in what it says about US-Russian relations. It is a signal of the tangible improvement.”

BASIC Program Director Anne Penketh quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sensitive rationalization or overlooked expansion? Demystifying the Obama plan for missile defense in Europe

Obama’s phased adaptive approach for missile defense will improve the security situation in Europe but could cause strategic problems with Russia.

Getting to Zero Update

Negotiations between Russia and the United States on the follow-on agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) resumed in Geneva, but appeared to face continuing challenges over the issues of telemetry, delivery vehicles carrying conventional warheads, and missile defense. Read more below.

BASIC welcomes Vice President’s push for treaty banning all nuclear explosions

The British American Security Information Council welcomes the renewed US commitment to press for the long-overdue Senate ratification of a treaty banning all nuclear explosions.

Obama at the UN

Obama\’s chairing of this historic UN Security Council session has increased the chances of success in moving towards the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, said Anne Penketh, Washington Program Director of the British American Security Information Council (BASIC).

The Shadow NATO Summit: Options for NATO – pressing the reset button on the strategic concept

NATO officials, civil society and policy experts gathered to examine the organization’s future and explore how civil society groups and parliamentarians could advance NATO-related policies and actions.

This event was organized by NATO Watch, BASIC, Bertelsmann-Stiftung, and ISIS-Europe, with support from the Marmot Charitable Trust.

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Strategic Stability

Russia and the US/NATO