BASIC in Cairo - Preparing for the 2012 conference
Anne Penketh, program director, February 15, 2012
The British American Security Information Council organized three events in Cairo from January 29th-30th, 2012 to exchange ideas on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and engage with the new Egyptian elite in preparation for the 2012 conference on a WMD free zone in the Middle East.
BASIC 2011 Annual Activities Report
Paul Ingram, executive director, Dr. Trevor McCrisken (Chair), February 13, 2012
There was overwhelming momentum seen in 2010 on the international stage with numerous initiatives on arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, and disarmament. Unfortunately, this momentum was not as evident in 2011, as it seemed as though the international focus had shifted. Nevertheless, BASIC’s tempo was itself maintained into 2011 as we attempted to play our role in returning the focus to effective efforts to...
Obama and the Bomb
Rachel Staley, program support officer, January 25, 2012
The rhetoric in the arms control community has changed in the past 5 years. Working to achieve “Global Zero” or a “world free of nuclear weapons” have become common expressions, vocalized by governments and top level officials whom previously subscribed to a much different school of thought. It is unquestionable that U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration have made a massive impact on the strength and...
A Thorn in Their Side
Nigel Chamberlain, January 24, 2012
A Thorn in their Side: The Hilda Murrell Murder? by Commander Robert Green. This book could have been a crime novel except the plot was too complicated for a fictional writer to dream up and, unlike most crime novels, the murder is not solved nor are the real perpetrators apprehended. But it comes very close.
The Future of NATO's Nuclear Weapons
Rolf Nikel, November 08, 2011
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.
Beyond the UK: Trends in the Other Nuclear Armed States
Dr. Ian Kearns, Trident Commission Consultant, October 30, 2011
This first BASIC Trident Commission briefing outlines recent worrying developments in the nuclear force structures of the world’s nuclear armed states. It argues that “the evidence points to a new era of global nuclear force modernisation and growth”.
Workshop on WMD-free zone in Middle East
Paul Ingram, executive director, September 22, 2011
Plans are afoot for a major conference next year on a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East. BASIC held a small workshop in Malta for officials and experts in the region on the key issues involved, and here we publish the facilitator’s key issues from the meeting.
Revising NATO’s Nuclear Posture: The way forward
Oliver Meier, August 30, 2011
Dr. Oliver Meier argues that NATO’s Strategic Concept did not live up to the expectations put forward earlier under U.S. President Barack Obama’s Prague Agenda. Meier proposes four steps that the Alliance should take through the ongoing Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) in order to improve its nuclear stance.
NATO's Nuclear Posture and Burden Sharing Agreements: an Italian Perspective
Laura Spagnuolo, July 14, 2011
BASIC in cooperation with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) hosted a roundtable in Rome on June 15, 2011 to explore the issue of “NATO’s Nuclear Posture and Burden Sharing Arrangements: an Italian Perspective.”
Multilateralizing Nuclear Arms Control: an agenda for the P5 meeting in Paris
Dr. Andrew Cottey, June 29, 2011
As the world’s established nuclear weapon states, the only nuclear weapon state signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the United States, Russia, China, France and the UK (the P5) are central to global nuclear politics
