Negotiated rapidly and in secret, the AUKUS pact to produce new nuclear-powered submarines is among the most expensive, consequential and opaque deals in British and Australian military history. Ian Lowe reports on the launch of a new civil society-led expert public inquiry into AUKUS that aims to provide the scrutiny so lacking from Australian politicians. … Continue reading AUKUS: Time for a Public Inquiry
Are Small Modular Reactors a Credible Means to Reduce Carbon Emissions?
Politicians in many countries, including the UK and Australia, have recently advocated the development of ‘small modular reactors’ (SMRs) as a means to speed up nuclear power production as an alternative to burning fossil fuels. But with the technology still some 15 years from maturity, Ian Lowe argues that SMRs are an expensive and risky … Continue reading Are Small Modular Reactors a Credible Means to Reduce Carbon Emissions?
Bridge to Nowhere: UK security strategy in the ruins of Atlantis
As Western security alliances fragment, Richard Reeve charts the implications for the UK’s most fundamental strategic assumptions, and makes the case for ‘thinking beyond the unthinkable’ in the government’s next National Security Strategy.