On 5 October 2009 Pugwash President Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala addressed the 4th London Conference on A Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone, organised by the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, and co-sponsored by British Pugwash.
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British Pugwash Annual Report 2009
Top issues: UK related nuclear weapons issues, particularly government’s decision to proceed with renewing Trident; non-proliferation and disarmament issues.
The validity of the rationale for UK’s possession of nuclear weapons
‘The validity of the rationale for UK’s possession of nuclear weapons’ (January 2009) Professor Robert Hinde argues that “the basic reasons that have been given for retaining or improving our nuclear weaponry have remained surprisingly similar across the years”. Read the article
UK does not need a nuclear deterrent – Letter
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, General Lord Ramsbotham, General Sir Hugh Beach (member BPG Executive Committee) ‘UK does not need a nuclear deterrent: Nuclear weapons must not be seen to be vital to the secure defence of self-respecting nations’. Letter, The Times 16 January 2009.
JOSEPH ROTBLAT CENTENTARY – The Strangest Dream
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and the British Pugwash Pugwash Group hosted the European premiere in London on 10 December 2008 of The Strangest Dream, a new film about Joseph Rotblat, Pugwash, and nuclear weapons, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
NATO Advanced Research Workshop: The Role of Independent Scientists in WMD Threat Assessment
This workshop, held on 13 – 16 November 2008 in Zagreb, Croatia, explored ways to ensure that NATO, Partner, and Mediterranean Dialogue countries maximise the scientific resources available to them, and highlighted ways they can take better advantage of the role of independent scientists in threat assessment.