BASIC (British American Security Information Council)

BASIC works in both nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states, with a specific expert focus on the UK, US, Europe and the Middle East. By creating links between different perspectives in the nuclear weapons policy debate, and improving the processes of negotiation and decision-making over nuclear weapons, we aim to address some of the strategic challenges posed by the changing global nuclear landscape. What distinguishes BASIC from other organizations is our uniquely non-partisan, dialogue-based approach. We provide a discreet forum for constructive engagement between individuals from different geographical, political or cultural backgrounds on traditionally sensitive or complex issues. Our aim is to break through existing barriers, rather than reinforce entrenched thinking; to build understanding of different perspectives and identify commonalities; to use this to encourage fresh or alternative approaches; and to feed these findings back in to existing policy debate. Our focus: 1. Identifying opportunities for nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states to take credible, stabilizing steps towards sustainable nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation 2. Seeking commonalities across geographical and political divides to build confidence in the security benefits of a non-nuclear weapons approach 3. Overcoming obstacles which hinder progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, by exploring and challenging traditional traps and assumptions