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BASIC in the media

BASIC’s council, experts and secretariat regularly write technical, law-based and opinion pieces for the press.

It will be too late to halt Trident's replacement if we don't talk now
February 23, 2011

Britain’s nuclear weapons strategy will be subjected to unprecedented independent scrutiny by a group of senior defence, diplomatic, scientific and political figures who have come together to form BASIC’s Trident Commission. BASIC has set up this independent, cross-party commission to examine the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapons policy and the issue of Trident renewal. The...

Coalition split on post-Trident nuclear deterrent
February 14, 2011

Lord Browne of Ladyton, co-chair of BASIC’s Trident Commission and defence secretary when the Blair government made its case for replacing Trident in 2007 – when it had to rely on Conservative votes – says he was not presented with sufficient facts and figures about the choices open to the government.

UK defence minister: case for Trident is 'thin'
February 10, 2011

Ian Kearns recently asked a government official what studies had been done into how long it would take and what it would cost to reconstitute the Trident deterrent if it were withdrawn from active deployment.”
The answer: none.

Nuclear weapons case to be examined by Commission
February 09, 2011

The new Trident Commission would be an “open-minded look at the issue from first principles ..… Should the UK be a nuclear power at all, and if it should, is Trident the only or best way to go about it?” proposed Ian Kearns, research director of BASIC.

Iran will not stop enrichment, even if attacked
January 21, 2011

“If the United States genuinely think that it will only be pressure on Iran that forces a compromise, they will not offer anything substantial at this stage, preferring to stick with the sanctions route, and are likely to stymie any deal.”

Russia Cautions U.S. Not to Undermine Meeting Over Iran's Nuclear Program
January 20, 2011

“This has become a contest of wills.” “Much of the Iranian challenge results from responses to what it sees as the strategically hostile environment created by the United States and her allies.”

THIS WEEK - Possible breakthrough over Iran’s nuclear program?
January 18, 2011

Reprinted by The Hill’s Congress blog.

Iran resumes talks on its nuclear program with the EU, US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany on Thursday and Friday, in Istanbul. Previous talks in early...

Podcast - Paul Ingram with French and Norwegian Ambassadors
January 12, 2011

Reflecting on the 2010 NPT Review Conference and future prospects, UK Amb John Duncan, for Multilateral Arms Control & Disarmament, interviews Amb Steffan Konstad, Dir Gen for Security Policy, Paul Ingram, BASIC’s exectutive director, and Amb Eric Danon, French delegation leader to the NPT in 2010. The recording was made at...

Analyst view - Iran invites envoys to visit atomic sites
January 04, 2011

“This invitation is to be welcomed. Whilst no big breakthrough in openness in itself, as ambassadors without detailed technical understanding of the facilities will hardly discover any major new information from such a visit, it is a goodwill gesture and does mark a shift in approach towards engagement, and recognition that the international community has a legitimate interest in Iran’s nuclear ...

Barack Obama's lame-duck wins let him enjoy his turkey
December 22, 2010

 “Nuclear disarmament is one of the things that Obama really cares about, and he decided to stake his personal credibility on this vote,”…..”I wouldn’t rule out the administration testing the water next year to see whether they can get the votes in the Senate to ratify the global test ban treaty, which would provide a crucial push towards it coming into force.”