What are states' responsibilities around the possession of nuclear weapons?

The British American Security Information Council (BASIC), in partnership with the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation, and Security (ICCS), have written a report entitled "Responsible Nuclear Sovereignty and the Future of the Global Nuclear Order (PDF 889KB)" which seeks to foster an international dialogue about the responsibilities of nuclear-armed states.

In November 2016, BASIC and ICCS held a London roundtable to consider the findings of an ESRC/AHRC project on ‘Nuclear Ethics and Global Security’ that has been led by Professor Nicholas Wheeler (Director of the ICCS) and Professor Anthony Burke of the University of New South Wales, Canberra. 

A number of international experts gathered to consider how far the concept of responsibility could breathe new life into debates over disarmament and non-proliferation within the existing nuclear order, and thereby help states break existing political deadlocks and engender fruitful discussions about the reduction of nuclear dangers. This report draws upon those discussions to express the motivations, challenges and opportunities of the responsibility framing, and is offered as a foundation stone for future work on this subject.

Read the report: Responsible Nuclear Sovereignty and the Future of the Global Nuclear Order (PDF 889KB)