Dr. Celeste Wallander, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy), speaks about NATO partnerships with Russia and other countries and NATO's engagement in the Middle East and North Africa at the Shadow NATO Summit hosted by BASIC, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Elliott School of International Affairs, NATO Watch, and Strategy International in Washington, DC on May 14 and 15, 2012.
Vulnerability
Nuclear weapons budget battles
Knives are out in the initial skirmishes over the fiscal 2013 funding for the nuclear weapons complex in the U.S., as a key appropriations committee meets this week.
Romney’s Foreign Policy Fantasies: “Breathtaking Weakness?”
BASIC Board Member William Hartung wrote an opinion piece for Talking Points Memo (TPM) on the Obama Administration's engagement with Russia on arms control, notably New START, and what should be the focus between the two Presidential candidates on arms control in the 2012 US election.
Ditching Trident ‘would save UK £84bn’
Michael Settle of Herald Scotland writes about the second BASIC Trident Commission report written by Professor Keith Hartley, and the impact it will have on the country's economy, particularly in Scotland.
Getting to Zero Update
Nuclear weapons non-proliferation and disarmament developments seemed to be caught in a holding pattern, despite the upswing in news on the Iran and North Korea programs during recent weeks, including the release of the more detailed IAEA report on Iran’s alleged nuclear weaponization efforts.
This Week: Trident Commission turbines are turning
Tonight the Trident Commission hosts the first of its public events to involve Parliamentarians and others in the brewing debate over this stage in Britain’s nuclear weapons development. It will be holding a Question Time in Parliament on Britain’s nuclear choices, hosted by Anita Anand of the BBC in the chair with Baroness Williams, Julian Lewis MP, David Omand, Prof Mike Clarke and Tim Hare on the panel.
Question Time: Britain’s nuclear choices and the context
Using the Question Time format, audience members were invited to submit questions on the United Kingdom\’s nuclear weapons posture and plans on October 31. Anita Anand, BBC presenter on Radio 4 and 5, was the Chair.
Media Release: First BASIC Trident Commission Paper Points To Worrying Trends in the World’s Nuclear Armed States
The BASIC Trident Commission publishes its first discussion paper Monday 31 October on recent worrying developments in the nuclear force structures of the world’s nuclear armed states. The report argues that “the evidence points to a new era of global nuclear force modernisation and growth”. The paper published with a Foreword from the Commission co-Chairs, is written by Ian Kearns and present evidence that: