British American Security Information Council

BASIC's Executive Director Paul Ingram was interviewed about the relations between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council in light of the Iran deal.

BASIC hosted this event on Wednesday 4th March in the Attlee Suite in Portcullis House in London. Chair: The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett MP, Chair of the (Joint) National Security Strategy Committee Speakers: Sir Nick Harvey, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on defence Lord Robertson, former Defence Secretary and Secretary-General of NATO Crispin Blunt MP, former SPAD to Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP at MoD and FCO Dr. Matthew Harries, Managing Editor of Survival, IISS Toby Fenwick,Centre Forum and author of ‘Retiring Trident’ Dr Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND

This podcast is a radio interview given by Paul Ingram (Executive Director of BASIC) to BBC Radio Scotland. The interview concerns the recent launch of the concluding report of the Trident Commission which found that the UK should keep a nuclear deterrent but that multilateral reductions and disarmament are possible and desirable.

Paul Ingram and Peter Huessy shared strategic perceptions on Trident in the United Kingdom and the United States, and discussed what possible changes could mean for alliance security. The debates around replacement of the UK nuclear weapons submarines have been heating up in the United Kingdom, and with the historical cooperation between the two allies on Trident, and the Mutual Defence Agreement, decisions could have an impact in the United States too. These speakers assessed how the different possible outcomes might be viewed on both sides of the Atlantic. Paul Ingram is the Executive Director of BASIC in the United Kingdom. Peter Huessy is President of GeoStrategic Analysis in the United States. Both speakers have addressed nuclear weapons issues in their work for over 20 years. The event was introduced by BASIC's Chair, Dr. Trevor McCrisken. The discussion was held on November 12, 2013 at the Capitol Hill Club. The event was part of a series of "Strategic Dialogues" that BASIC has put together during the past two years in order to bring together speakers with different views on strategic nuclear and arms control issues, in an effort to find commonalities on often contentious issues, especially for audiences in Washington, DC. Visit the event page on BASIC's website: http://www.basicint.org/news/events/2013/cost-and-benefits-us-strategic-interests-uk-renewal-trident

Interview with Ward Wilson by Utah Public Radio on October 17 2013. Ward discusses five myths of nuclear weapons: that nuclear weapons shock and awe opponents; that nuclear deterrence is effective in a crisis; that killing civilians causes leaders to back down; that the bomb has kept the peace for sixty-five years; and that we can’t put the nuclear genie back in the bottle. His conclusion? Nuclear weapons are enormously dangerous, but don’t appear to be terribly useful.  This excerpt and interview can be originally found here on the Utah Public Radio website. BASIC would also like to thank Utah Public Radio for allowing us to redistribute this interview. 

UN Side Event on October 16, 2013. Presentations by Ward Wilson (BASIC), and Barry Blechman (Stimson Center). Moderated by Angela Kane (UN High Representative on Disarmament Affairs).

Dr. Oliver Meier, Associate in the International Security Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs; and François Rivasseau, Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the US discuss European perspectives on nuclear burden sharing. The dialogue is moderated by Rebecca Cousins, Program Director at BASIC. Both speakers presented in their independent capacities and are not representing their respective organizations. The event took place on July 26, 2013 at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington DC. BASIC would like to thank Peter Huessy, President of GeoStrategic Analysis and the Air Force Association, for facilitating the event.