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Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
About
The European Leadership Network (ELN) for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation is a network of senior European political, military and diplomatic figures who have unrivalled insight on nuclear issues within Europe and on the world stage.
The Network is formed at a time when the world is entering a crucial period in the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament policy debate.
Over the last three years there has been significant momentum generated for multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We have witnessed President Obama's renewed commitment to the vision of a world without nuclear weapons, as set out in his Prague speech, the historic chairing of the United Nations Security Council Summit in September 2009 and the most recent signing of the renewed START treaty between the US and Russia.
With little progress in limiting the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, there is now a more coherent desire to reach an agreement in the forthcoming Nuclear Review Treaty (NPT) conference in May 2010: especially in light of the failure to reach consensus at the 2005 Review Conference. Support for these objectives have been articulated across Europe. Multilateral nuclear disarmament in the context of renewed nuclear security and a revitalised NPT is beginning to become mainstream political thinking in Europe.
There are still a number of areas which are of grave concern to many of us. These include: the need for changes in nuclear posture and doctrine, and deeper and faster cuts in nuclear weapons by those states that possess them; the dangers of nuclear terrorism; the need for deeper transatlantic dialogue on NATO nuclear doctrine; the reinvigoration of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; the potential proliferation consequences of increased use of civil nuclear power and the empowerment of the IAEA.
Multilateral cooperation is the only effective way forward. To help foster and coordinate debate within Europe and to increase the influence of the European voice on these issues in the US and globally, there is a role for a European Leadership Network of senior figures.
AIMS
To help foster and coordinate debate within Europe and to increase the influence of the European voice on these issues in the US and globally, there is a role for a European Leadership Network of senior figures. This ELN is the product of a partnership between the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (TLG) and the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) in London.
The European Leadership Network is still in the process of being formed but aspires to promote real progress on this agenda. To create, grow and sustain the ELN, and to ensure that it is impacting the policy debate rather than serving as a talking-shop only, the ELN will:
- Join up what are currently largely separate national debates on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues in Europe;
- Build a more coordinated high-level European policy community that is capable of impacting on wider international diplomatic discussions aimed at addressing the challenges;
- Raise the level of awareness and the quality of debate on the issues among European parliamentarians, both at national and EU level;
- Improve European public understanding of the issues involved;
- Provide an access point, for interested journalists and other interested stakeholders to senior European political and expert opinion;
- Provide a new avenue for experts from academia, NGOs and the think-tank community to feed analysis and views into the policy-making process;
- Over time, improve the frequency, depth and range of opportunities for dialogue between high-level policy-makers in Europe with those in the US and other parts of the world;
- Facilitate contact between like-minded European figures and their counterparts in the US with a view to promoting the strategic objectives of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament around the world;
- Ultimately ensure that these strategic aims and objectives become mainstream political thinking across Europe.
For further information visit www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org or please contact:
Shata Shetty, Researcher to the Top Level Group:
Email: shatas@rusi.org or Telephone: +44 (0)207 747 2613
Website: www.toplevelgroup.org
Dr Ian Kearns, Senior Fellow at RUSI:
Email IanK@rusi.org or Telephone: +44 (0)207 747 4972
Website: www.rusi.org/eln
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