On 25th May, NATO Leaders met in Brussels to discuss the future of the alliance. With Trumpian panache, the US President took the opportunity to scold his European allies for not spending enough on defence.
USA
Budgeting for Bombs: The Difficulties of Getting Nuclear Modernisation through Congress
On Monday 17th April, US Secretary of Defence James Mattis announced that the United States Nuclear Posture Review had officially begun and will be completed by the end of the year.
US – North Korea: An Unnecessary Crisis
Let no one say the Trump Administration has not been creative in foreign policy in its first 100 days. It has created a full-blown crisis over North Korea and it is sustaining it.
The crisis was not caused by North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. It was caused by what the U.S. Administration says about it. “We won’t allow North Korea to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles,” said President Trump. Vice-President Mike Pence warns North Korea not to test America’s resolve.
United States inconsistency complicates cooperation with Russia on DPRK
Setting the tone for a potential shift in the US policy of multilateral cooperation over North Korea, Joseph Yun, the US Special Representative for North Korea, visited Moscow from April 4-6.
Struggling to Signal: Trump’s Dilemma with Arms Control Diplomacy: 18th April 2017
Some believe the world is a safer place with Trump in the White House.
The Escalating Tensions between US & DPRK: BBC Breakfast Radio
On the morning of 17th April 2017, BASIC Executive Director, Paul Ingram was interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Good Morning Wales. Paul was asked to comment on the nuclear capabilities of North Korea and the potential danger of a nuclear war between the two countries.
US and the INF Treaty: Testing NATO: 3rd April 2017
The US response to Russia’s supposed violation of the INF Treaty is a litmus test for the Trump administration’s approach to arms controls and strategic stability. It will give a clear indication of the Administration’s attitude towards relations with Russia, its NATO allies and to arms control more generally.
Zero Days, Millions in damage: A scientist’s review of the RAND report Zero Days, thousands of nights.
A recent RAND report, released just two days after Wikileaks opened its Vault 7 that detailed the CIA’s entire stockpile of vulnerabilities and their suite of cyber tools (also referred as exploits), seeks to establish a protocol and the advantages of state intelligence agencies maintaining classified vulnerability stockpiles.