The removal of nuclear weapons from Scottish soil may be a “red-line” issue for the SNP today, but as the complexity of other defining issues - currency, European Union membership, national debt - begins to surface, this “red-line” may well evolve into a bargaining chip.
Recent events in Ukraine have led some to question if it might have benefited from a nuclear deterrent. Rather than rethinking the country's disarmament, we must question why we continue to invest in nuclear deterrence strategies.
While understanding the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons are key to acheiving disarmament, efforts for a new convention outside the nuclear non-proliferation treaty will only fragment the nuclear debate further.
The increasing discussion of the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons may be able to move disarmament talks beyond the political disparities between the weapons haves and have-nots – and shift our understanding of the consequences beyond simply national interest.
Only strengthened diplomatic efforts, treating all partners as equal, can defuse the deep mistrust threatening the interim nuclear deal and enable a long-term agreement.
It's easy not to recognise the real, if slow, progress that has been made on nuclear disarmement. There will be big challenges in 2014 to maintain it.
US congressional efforts to introduce new sanctions legislation threatens the fragile ground gained through diplomatic efforts to secure an interim nuclear deal with Iran.
Given the tumultuous history between the negotiating countries, the interim deal signed over Iran’s nuclear programme is a real achievement. Provided all sides deliver on their commitments, this deal is an opportunity to build confidence and potentially break through the historic trust deficit.
How much risk are we willing to accept? The dangers of maintaining nuclear weapons remain the same but the issue has fallen out of public awareness, and a mistake could be disastrous.
Treating the issues of non-proliferation and disarmament under a single umbrella can address disparities in the existing international nuclear weapons discourse.
Nuclear weapons policy reaches far into our daily global economic, trade and foreign relations, yet for the most part is inaccessible to public scrutiny. This week the EU will discuss the presence of America's B61s in Europe: an opportunity to open up the debate.
Despite notes of caution and a lack of concrete offers, Presidents Obama and Rouhani set the stage for increased engagement at the UN last week. With calls for a WMD-free zone in the Middle East reaffirmed, Israel's game plan will be central.
