Activities Report
April - July 2008
An Update for BASIC Council, Advisors, Patrons,
Donors and Partners
Director's Introduction
Momentum for Getting to Zero has been growing these past
few months. Several key serving and former politicians have
endorsed the vision of a nuclear weapon free world and highlighted
the need to move in that direction. As can be seen in this
report, BASIC has played a role in some of these developments,
initiating and facilitating discussion and analysis that helps
to move opinion in the right direction. We look forward to
continuing our work with decision-makers and opinion-shapers
to encourage new thinking and shape our future in a direction
of sustainable security, as the world looks to the US Presidential
election campaign over the next few months.
Programme Activities
Seminar with the Foreign Secretary - 18 July
Paul attended a small private day-long seminar with ten others
and the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, at his country
residence, discussing non-proliferation and disarmament, and
the UK's responses to prevailing trends affecting global and
regional security. BASIC's involvement demonstrates the FCO's
belief that we are a major player, and gave us further opportunities
for on-going dialogue with officials and other participants.
Other participants were from RUSI, IISS, SOAS, Carnegie, the
Lords and government departments, as well as including a French
and another US participant.
Address by Dr Akbar Etemad - 14 July
Paul chaired a public meeting addressed by Dr. Akbar Etemad,
Head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation from its creation
until 1979. He outlined much of the history of Iran's nuclear
programme and its current set up, and explained that national
identity in the programme was a major driver.
UK defence procurement crunch - 11 July
Alongside WMD Awareness we held a roundtable seminar at the
National Liberal Club to discuss with military analysts, officials
and stakeholders overstretch of the armed services, military
budgets and Trident replacement with a view to creating new
political analysis and alliances in advance of decisions over
UK Trident replacement in coming years.
Options for Britain II Conference - 8 July
Paul chaired the session considering Britain's role in the
world, focusing on a paper presented by Malcolm Chalmers,
recently the Special Adviser at the Foreign Office under Jack
Straw and Margaret Beckett. Options for Britain II
is a ground-breaking assessment of policy options by policy-oriented
academics for a future government, based on the original Options
for Britain book and meetings that shaped the original
Labour Party manifesto in 1997 (the authors because senior
advisers in the new government and are coordinating this reassessment).
National Security Strategy roundtable - 7 July
We were centrally involved in organising and hosting a 3-hour
joint meeting with Royal United Services Institute on the
UK National Security Strategy (the first was published in
March of this year), with a paper presented by Professor Paul
Rogers. It was attended by around 40 senior officials from
Cabinet Office, Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, senior
analysts and Directors of NGOs and think-tanks, and it included
a number of frank and illuminating contributions. The National
Security Strategy forms a central element of the policy environment
within which UK disarmament positions are determined.
Gathering Momentum in the UK Parliament for global nuclear
disarmament
BASIC Board member and former MP Malcolm Savidge was closely
involved in the most recent groundbreaking appeal for nuclear
weapons abolition in the 30 June London
Times by former long-serving UK Foreign and Defence
Secretaries across the political spectrum. Sir Malcolm Rifkind,
MP and three Lords Douglas Hurd, David Owen, and George Robertson
(NATO Secretary-General 1999-2003), warned of the dangers
from nuclear proliferation, highlighting that deterrence has
lost its salience and endorsing the vision of a world free
of nuclear weapons.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee agreed to
a written proposal from Malcolm Savidge to launch a major
Inquiry into Non-Proliferation. It will start later this year.
Malcolm also assisted in initiating a Parliamentary motion
supporting the US and UK momentum for urgent steps towards
nuclear disarmament, sponsored by the most recent former holders
of the following offices - Foreign Secretary [Margaret Beckett],
Defence Secretary [John Reid], Leader of the Opposition [Michael
Howard], Deputy Leader of the Opposition [Michael Ancram],
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party [Sir Menzies Campbell]
together with the current Chair of the Defence Select Committee
[James Arbuthnot]. BASIC and the United Nations Association
of the UK immediately sent a joint letter to all MPs, signed
by the respective chairs, Dr Trevor McCrisken and Lord Hannay
of Chiswick, providing background information and urging support
for the motion. We will be looking to expand support when
Parliament returns in the Autumn.
BASIC-WEU roundtable - 17 June
BASIC-hosted private meeting on 17 June in Washington with
visiting members from the Western European Union Assembly's
Defence Committee. Leading the discussion and presentation
were BASIC board members Ambassador James Leonard and Dr.
Joanna Spear who were joined by other Washington-based experts,
John Isaacs of Council for a Livable World and Shervin Boloorian
of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The discussion focused
on transatlantic relations, the U.S. Presidential race and
Iran's nuclear programme and how these issues relate to overall
prospects for nuclear disarmament. Text from the briefings
is available on BASIC's
website.
NPT Prep Com - 8 May
BASIC Director Paul Ingram presented his
paper at a meeting held alongside the NPT Preparatory
Committee in Geneva on 8 May. Entitled, "Taking Responsibility:
what can NPT states realistically do to build on today's momentum
behind nuclear disarmament?" it outlined the link between
disarmament and non-proliferation alongside some of the steps
needed to achieve progress. It was published as BASIC's first
GTZ Paper in July.
BASIC-IPPR roundtable - 25 April
BASIC and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
held a joint roundtable on Getting to Zero. Presentations
were given by BASIC Board members Ambassadors Bob Barry (US)
and Jim Leonard (US), and by Chris Allan from the Foreign
Office, with members of the London-based arms control community
taking part. The meeting was chaired by Ian Kearns, Director
of IPPR's security programme. The discussion of transatlantic
focus, approaches and challenges was enhanced by active participation
in the discussion by BASIC board members from the US and UK
(Susan Kincade (US), Trevor McCrisken (UK), Daniel Nelson
(US), Sima Osdoby (US), Malcolm Savidge (UK)).
Brian Eno's reception for BASIC - 24 April
BASIC Board member, internationally acclaimed music producer
and performer, Brian Eno hosted the second reception for 'BASIC's
Transatlantic Allies,' inviting BASIC Board members, Patrons
and friends to his London recording studio. Brian, Paul Ingram
(BASIC's Executive Director) and music legend Annie Lennox
gave eloquent and impassioned calls for support to promote
BASIC's principle programme 'Getting
to Zero,' endorsing the need and the opportunities for
nuclear disarmament (for notes of Annie's talk, see her blog
entry for 25 April).
Left to right: 1) Music journalist and broadcaster Charlie
Gillett with BASIC Patron Annie Lennox 2) Brian Eno conducts
the singing 3) Mary Boergers, former Maryland State Senator
chats about transatlantic relations with BASIC Board members
Sima Osdoby and Susan Kincade.
BASIC welcomed a number of new Patrons, including political
comedian Rory Bremner, actor Stephen Frears, author Martin
Goodman, musical journalist and broadcaster Charlie Gillett,
James Thornton, pianist and musical director Warren Wills
and sculptor Emily Young.
Iran's Nuclear Programme
BASIC Executive Director Paul Ingram, continued to host from
London his weekly 45-minute discussion on issues of global
and regional security on Iran's domestic terrestrial TV news
station, IRINN. BASIC also produces a widely-read bi-weekly
email news
update covering issues related to Iran's nuclear programme.
We are looking to organize a roundtable later in the year
to discuss proposals around Iran's nuclear programme that
will satisfy both sides' key objectives. Paul Ingram gave
a 3-hour seminar to senior Qatari military officers on Iran
and the balance of power in the Middle East on 24 July.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global
Security and Non-Proliferation
The APPG on Global Security and Non-Proliferation is a cross-party
Group open to all Members of both Houses of Parliament which
meets frequently to listen to speakers from around the world
and discuss issues relevant to global security and nuclear
weapons. The Clerk is Lorna Richardson, a BASIC staff member.
The Group has recently elected Lord Hannay (former British
Ambassador to the UN and member of the Kofi Annan's High Level
Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change) and Tony Lloyd MP
(Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party and former Foreign
Minister) as Joint Conveners. They succeeded the late Air
Marshal Lord Garden, who had provided energetic and inspirational
leadership.
- In May 2008 Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister of State, addressed
the Group on the future of the NPT.
- In June 2008 the Group hosted Jayantha Dhanapala, Pugwash
President and former Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament
Affairs at the United Nations, speaking on the responsibilities
of the nuclear weapon states.
Organisation, Staffing and Financial Support
Paul Ingram began his posting at the beginning of April as
Executive Director of BASIC in London and Washington with
a tour of New York, Washington and Charlottesville to develop
essential working networks.
BASIC's Washington office welcomed Philip Maxon and Steve
Herzog as new interns in June. Philip has worked with the
Arms Control Association and Student Pugwash and will be focusing
on Getting to Zero issues. Steve comes to us from Human Rights
Watch and will be working on Iran, and the GTZ blog. We thank
Andrew Imbrie for his service to BASIC, who left us in April
to work in Senator John Kerry's office.
The London office has benefitted hugely from the return in
April of former intern Laura Spagnuolo, who is currently assisting
Kim Waller on fundraising and administrative projects with
a view to ensuring a sustainable future for BASIC. We also
benefited from project assistance from interns.
BASIC has recruited several new Board Members and Advisors
in recent months. Ambassador James Goodby (experienced arms
controller) and Camilla Bustani (international lawyer) joined
BASIC's Board. Isabel Bass (finance and public affairs consultant),
Dr. Heinz Gärtner (Austrian defence expert), Dr. Inderjeet
Parmar (Head of Politics in Manchester University), Dr. Dmitri
Trenin (Deputy Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center), Sir
John Thomson (MIT, former UK Rep to UN), Profs Malcolm Chalmers
(RUSI, former Special Adviser), John Simpson (Prof, University
of Southampton) and Paul Rogers (Prof, Bradford University),
and Lord Hannay (former UK Rep to UN), along with Amb. Thomas
Graham Jr. (experienced arms controller) and former Secretary
of State Lawrence Eagleburger have all become Advisors to
BASIC or specifically to its Getting to Zero Project.
BASIC in the News
Media interviews and citations
IRINN (Iranian News Channel) - 45 Minutes
Paul Ingram, BASIC Co-Executive Director, hosts a weekly discussion
programme with two guests, on issues related to global and
Middle East security, broadcast live at peak time (8.15pm)
in Farsi (simultaneous translation), with two repeats over
the weekend.
Paul Ingram, Executive Director, selected media coverage
- Aljazeera Intl TV, the Presidential candidates
on foreign security policies, 23 May.
- Sahar (Iranian) TV, Iran's nuclear programme under
pressure, 23 May.
- Sahar (Iranian) TV, Iraqi-Iranian relations after
the summit, 17 June.
- MehrNews (Iran), the status of the dispute over
Iran's nuclear programme and what Iran needs to do now,
2 June.
- The Guardian, US
removes its nuclear arms from Britain, 26 June.
- The Guardian, US
says its nuclear arsenal in Europe is poorly guarded,
26 June.
- Stars and Stripes, U.S.
nukes moved from Lakenheath, official claims, 28 June.
- Bloomberg News, U.S.
Dismisses Report Israel Likely to Attack Iran (Update2),
1 July.
- Stars and Stripes, 110
B-61 warheads reported moved from RAF Lakenheath, 1
July.
- Bloomberg TV, the missile tests and the negotiations
with Iran over the nuclear programme, 9 July.
- Radio Free Europe, Iran's nuclear programme and
negotiations on the freeze-for-freeze aspects, 21 July.
Trevor McCrisken, Chair of the Board, selected media coverage
On 9 July, The Washington Times published an opinion
piece "The
Test of Leadership" by BASIC Board member James Goodby
calling for US and Russian leadership in reducing reliance
on nuclear weapons, setting a goal of reductions in operationally
deployed nuclear warheads to 500 by the end of the next US
president's first term.
Publications, Meetings and Submissions
Open letter
to the UK Government: New thinking required over Iran's nuclear
programme (PDF), by BASIC Advisor Sir John Thomson, who
points out the need to change the current course and proposes
an international enrichment facility for Iran, 19 May.
Another milestone to Zero: UK Statesmen Call for a World
without Nuclear Weapons, BASIC
Media Advisory and Special
Getting to Zero Update, 30 June.
BASIC Email Updates Series
Subscribe
to BASIC's email updates.
BASIC's GTZ Blog
Please visit BASIC's
GTZ blog and post a comment.
BASIC Papers
-
Taking
Responsibility:what can NPT states realistically do to
build on today's momentum behind nuclear disarmament?
Paul Ingram, Executive Director, BASIC, Getting to
Zero Paper, No. 1, 15 July 2008. Also available as
a pdf
file.
-
Sarkozy
and French nuclear deterrence, Jean-Marie Collin,
Getting to Zero Paper, No. 2, 15 July 2008. Also
available as a pdf
file.
-
Analysis
of the French White Paper on Defence and National Security,
Stephen Herzog, BASIC, Getting to Zero Paper, No.
3, 15 July 2008. Also available as a pdf
file.
-
Iran's
Missile Program, Bharath Gopalaswamy, Cornell University,
Getting to Zero Paper, No. 4, 15 July 2008. Also
available as a pdf
file.
On May 9, BASIC Chair Trevor McCrisken participated in a
panel discussion on "The Conservative Movement and US Foreign
Policy" at a conference on "The Future of the American Conservative
Movement" at the University of Oxford where he critiqued the
impact of neoconservatism on US foreign policy, compared the
positions on non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament of
the US presidential candidates, and also considered the significance
of the presence of conservatives among the former US secretaries
of state and defense calling for a world without nuclear weapons.
He also took part in a one day symposium on "Soft Power and
US Foreign Policy" featuring Joseph Nye at the University
of Manchester on May 22, 2008. The discussion focused on how
the power of cultural and political attraction and the influence
of example can be more effective foreign policy instruments
than military and economic coercion.
BASIC's work is made possible by the generous
support of our donors: the Ploughshares
Fund, the Ford Foundation,
the Joseph Rowntree Charitable
Trust, the Marmott Trust, Polden-Puckham
Charitable Foundation, Rockefeller Family & Associates,
and individual contributors to BASIC. We are grateful to all
of them for their support.
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