Opinion: To deal with Iran’s nuclear future, go back to 2008: What We're Reading Now
Oct 27, 2011

IRAN
Opinion: To deal with Iran’s nuclear future, go back to 2008
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post -- October 27, 2011
Early in the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama signaled that he was going to break with the Bush administration’s Manichean foreign policy. The topic was Iran. He explained repeatedly that the Bush policy of simply pressuring Iran was not working and that he would be willing to talk to the country’s leaders to find ways to reduce tensions and dangers.

IAEA Pressed to Publish Less Iran Nuclear Data, Diplomats Say
Global Security Newswire -- October 26, 2011
Diplomatic sources on Tuesday affirmed reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency is facing pressure from China and Russia to tone down or withhold a forthcoming safeguards assessment expected to include data reflecting a possible Iranian effort to establish a nuclear deterrent, Agence France-Presse reported.

NORTH KOREA
Diplomacy with North Korea Takes Center Stage in Seoul
Steve Herman, Voice of America -- October 27, 2011
The South Korean capital is again the focal point for intensified diplomacy concerning North Korea and its nuclear weapons and missile development.

Pentagon chief says he doubts North Korea will give up on nuclear ambitions
Washington Post -- October 27, 2011
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday he is skeptical that diplomacy will push North Korea to give up its nuclear program, and he raised the prospect of the North’s stance leading to “escalation and confrontation.”