BASIC brings Parliamentarians to Washington
Dr. David Liddington, British Conservative Party Member of Parliament and Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister has some advice for the U.S. on the follow-on to START and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty:
“Get on with it.”
Dr. Liddington certainly did not mean to offend anyone. He and the other members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation brought to the States by BASIC (the British American Security Information Council) have a point. Our allies support President Obama’s agenda of moving towards a nuclear weapons-free world. They encourage it, they welcome it, they are inspired by it…they just need us to do it.
The delegation, which also included former Labor Defense Secretary Des Browne, and the joint conveners of the parliamentary group, Tony Lloyd and Lord Hannay of Chiswick, met with Senators from both sides of the aisle, Administration officials from various departments and agencies and non-government leaders, including many representing Ploughshares-funded organizations: the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, the Federation of American Scientists, Global Zero and the Brookings Institution.
As outlined in the delegations’ panel discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, no one thought that nuclear elimination was something that could be achieved overnight. Again, Dr. Lidington came away with the best quote on the topic.
"The nuclear-free world, yes, we would sign up to that as an objective, but we are not starry-eyed about this being quick or easy."
The delegation spoke of concrete steps and cooperation. Accomplishing the short-term goals will deliver the ultimate goal of zero. Having arrived in Washington as Congress returned to session, the British delegation got a clear impression of the partisan rancor that has descended over the city. The consensus among their multi-partisan group reflected the kind of cooperation and civility we so desperately need in the U.S.
(photo: British delegation meets with Gary Samore, White House "nonproliferation czar.")
