What are the prospects for nuclear non-proliferation after US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal? Lords International Relations Committee to take evidence
The House of Lords International Relations Committee will continue taking evidence for its inquiry ‘the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear disarmament' on Wednesday 30 January, hearing from four former senior UK officials and experts.
Nuclear weapons are on the international agenda in a way they have not been since the end of the Cold War with rising tensions between nuclear-armed states and the fragmenting of existing non-proliferation and arms control agreements. The Committee is examining the state of global nuclear diplomacy and the United Kingdom's role in it.
Appearing at 10.40am will be:
- Andrea Berger, Senior Research Associate and Senior Program Manager, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
- Sir Simon Gass, former British Ambassador to Iran and former Political Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Questions are likely to include:
- What are the prospects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran nuclear deal) surviving following US withdrawal?
- What is the current state of the negotiations between the United States and North Korea?
- How should the UK view its future role in global nuclear diplomacy?
Appearing at 11:40am will be:
- John Gower, former Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Nuclear, Chemical, Biological), Ministry of Defence
- Patricia Lewis, Research Director, International security, Chatham House
Questions are likely to include:
- How would you characterise the global level of nuclear risk?
- How has the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the Ban Treaty) affected global nuclear diplomacy?
- To what extent have relevant new technologies affected global nuclear diplomacy, and what future technological developments are likely to further undermine the nuclear status quo?
