Trident: The Deal Isn't Done - Serious Questions Remain Unanswered, Dr. Nick Ritchie, December 2007
The report argues that:
1. The decision taken by Parliament was only the first step on the path towards Trident replacement – it was not the final word.
2. Parliament will have a major opportunity to revisit the decision and review British nuclear weapons policy when contracts are due to be placed to build new Trident missile submarines in 2012-2014.
3. The Government has constructed a particular argument to justify Trident replacement and has presented a number of assertions as facts. These arguments need to be unpicked and the legitimacy of the Government’s assertions and understandings critically examined.
4. The Government has focused on only a handful of issues to the exclusion of other important factors. These issues need to be brought into the mainstream debate and the wider implications of the decision subjected to a full and balanced analysis.
5. The Government should re-think its understanding of ‘minimum deterrence’ and examine further steps towards reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in British defence and foreign policy.
6. It is not clear what British nuclear weapons are for, why Britain, specifically, needs them, and how their long-term retention can be reconciled with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Download the report here
Dr. Nick Ritchie
Department of Peace Studies
University of Bradford
Bradford UK
BD7 1DP
Email: n.ritchie@bradford.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1274 236860
