Rebecca Cousins

Rebecca Cousins is Program Director for BASIC in Washington D.C., before which she was a career diplomat with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was recently awarded an MBE for her role in the UK's consular in-country response to the 2011 Japan earthquake and subsequent Fukushima nuclear incident.

Rebecca's column on openSecurity explores perspectives on nuclear weapons policy and disarmament.

Syria: lessons for the nuclear debate

The use of chemical weapons in Damascus should, at the very least, give us pause to reflect on the principles guiding our nuclear weapons policies.

By Rebecca Cousins

/ 16 Sep 2013

Raising our sights in Syria

Neither ending the bloodshed nor preventing the further use of weapons of mass destruction in Syria is served by military intervention. Amidst speculation over the US-UK special relationship, the Iranian reaction points a way forward.

By Rebecca Cousins

/ 2 Sep 2013

Looking beyond the US-Russia stalemate

The cancellation of Obama's September meeting with Putin has led some observers to predict doom for the arms control agenda. But beyond this bilateral sticking point, inter-state agendas are on the move.

By Rebecca Cousins

/ 12 Aug 2013

Fighting a prevailing Cold War mentality

Next week is the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Climbing down the nuclear ladder is an undeniably complex task, but one the world’s politicians must continue to rise to.

By Rebecca Cousins

/ 29 Jul 2013

The British Trident debate: an opportunity for progress?

The nuclear weapons debate in the UK has been steadily diversifying and maturing, but thus far has remained an elite, rather than truly electoral, issue. Tomorrow's publication of the Trident Alternatives Review is significant as austerity hits and defence budgets come under scrutiny.

By Rebecca Cousins

/ 15 Jul 2013