Our former colleague and friend Alyson Bailes died on Friday 29th April, after an extended fight against cancer over the last decade.
Alyson had an extensive, varied and successful career in the Foreign Office, which included a stint as Ambassador to Finland, was Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2002-7) and taught at the University of Iceland and College of Europe. But she will be remembered at BASIC for her time as an active and committed member of the Trident Commission (2011-14) and subsequently after the Commission reported in July 2014 as a BASIC Board member, until in January 2016 she was told that her illness had suddenly deteriorated.
Alyson made an extraordinary and mindful contribution to the Commission. She flew in from Iceland for each of our meetings, and contributed comprehensive, solid and balanced comments in person and on manuscripts. Her experience serving in posts across Europe brought an extraordinary wealth of perspective that informed her belief in the need for realistic and hard-headed common security approaches.
After the Commission reported in July 2014 she joined BASIC’s Board and continued to show dedicated service to the cause and vision of multilateral nuclear disarmament.
We will miss her immensely.
Fragments of a truly awesome life are captured today in obituaries: