Watchdog: Pentagon Buys Weapons Backwards - What We're Reading Now
Apr 25, 2012
Korean Peninsula
North Korean nuclear test could happen as early as Tuesday night
Richard Engel, Jim Miklaszewski and Robert Windrem, NBC News - April 24, 2012
North Korea could carry out an underground test of a nuclear weapon as early as Tuesday night as the North's reclusive leadership dramatically tries to up the stakes with the U.S. and the West, U.S. officials told NBC News.
U.S. Warns North Korea on Nuclear Test
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times - April 25, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned North Korea on Tuesday not to conduct another nuclear test, saying it would create “greater instability in a dangerous part of the world.”
Iran
Israel army chief says Iran unlikely to make bomb
Maayan Lubell, Reuters - April 25, 2012
Israel's military chief said he does not believe Iran will decide to produce an atomic bomb, describing its leadership as "very rational" in an interview published on Wednesday.
Ex-Iran negotiator: "historic" chance for nuke talks
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - April 25, 2012
Iran and major nations have a "historic opportunity" to settle their decade-old nuclear dispute, but requiring the Islamic state to stop higher-grade uranium enrichment would be discriminatory, Tehran's former chief nuclear negotiator said.
U.S. and NATO Finalize Pacts on Ending Afghan War: What We're Reading Now
Apr 19, 2012
Korean Peninsula
This Time, a Less Predictable Pyongyang
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times - April 18, 2012
Things tend to repeat themselves enough in the continuing North Korean missile and nuclear crises that analysts and journalists often joke that if they pulled out their old reports and changed the dates, they could pretty much describe the latest episode.
S. Korea deploys new missile capable of hitting anywhere in N. Korea
Yonhap News Agency - April 19, 2012
South Korea has deployed a new long-range cruise missile that puts nuclear and missile sites in the entire North Korean territory within striking distance, defense ministry officials said Thursday, amid growing security jitters sparked by the North's botched rocket launch.
Afghanistan
U.S. and NATO Finalize Pacts on Ending Afghan War
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times - April 18, 2012
The United States and its allies in NATO finalized agreements on Wednesday to wind down the war in Afghanistan, paving the way for President Obama to announce at a NATO summit meeting in Chicago next month that the unpopular, nearly 11-year-old conflict is close to an end.
Afghanistan needs firm security funding pledges, U.S. says
David Cloud, Los Angeles Times - April 18, 2012
The United States and its allies are promising to provide more than $4 billion a year for Afghanistan's army and police after international forces depart in 2 1/2 years, but they still lack firm financial pledges to meet the target, U.S. officials said.
Ahead of nuclear talks, Iran floats compromise: What We're Reading Now
Apr 09, 2012
Iran
Ahead of nuclear talks, Iran floats compromise
Nasser Karimi, Associated Press - April 9, 2012
Iran's nuclear chief signaled Tehran's envoys may bring a compromise offer to the talks this week with world powers: Promising to eventually stop producing its most highly enriched uranium, while not totally abandoning its ability to make nuclear fuel.
After row, Iran confirms Istanbul for nuclear talks
The Economic Times - April 9, 2012
Iran today confirmed that nuclear talks this week with world powers would take place in Istanbul, dropping public reservations over that city as venue following a sharp-worded row with Turkey.
Willing Banks Find Profits in Legal Trade With Iran
Benoit Faucon and Margaret Cooker, Wall Street Journal - April 8, 2012
As Western sanctions on Iran have grown tighter, some small banks have found a lucrative niche financing what remains of the legal trade with the Islamic Republic.
Korean Peninsula
Rocket in Position at Launch Pad in N.Korea
Jean H. Lee, TIME World - April 8, 2012
North Korean space officials have moved all three stages of a long-range rocket into position for a controversial launch, vowing Sunday to push ahead with their plan in defiance of international warnings against violating a ban on missile activity.
Hard Line on Iran Places White House in a Bind: What We're Reading Now
Mar 30, 2012
Iran
Hard Line on Iran Places White House in a Bind
Mark Landler, Thom Shanker, and Helene Cooper, New York Times - March 29, 2012
As American and European diplomats prepare for crucial negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, the White House finds itself caught in a bind: for the diplomatic effort to work, American officials say, the Iranian government must believe that President Obama is ready and willing to take military action.
Korean Peninsula
Japan will intercept NKorean rocket if threatened
Associated Press - March 30, 2012
Japan's defense minister Friday ordered missile units to intercept a long-range rocket expected to be launched by North Korea if the rocket or its fragments threaten to hit Japan.
Afghanistan
Afghan Local Police key to success against Taliban
Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times - March 29, 2012
A small, little-noticed counterinsurgency force that was created in the ninth year of the Afghanistan War is proving to be the key for U.S. troops to leave the country in victory.
Second Afghan Insurgent Group Suspends Peace Talks
Matthew Rosenberg and Rod Nordland, New York Times - March 29, 2012
Stalled peace efforts in Afghanistan suffered another setback on Thursday when a second insurgent faction — one that has squared off against both the American-led coalition and the Taliban — announced it was suspending formal peace negotiations with the Afghan government, as the Taliban did earlier this month.
Iranian Leader Promotes Nuclear Plans: What We're Reading Now
Feb 23, 2012
IRAN
Iranian Leader Promotes Nuclear Plans
Farnaz Fassihi, Wall Street Journal - February 23, 2012
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would move ahead with its nuclear program, despite growing international pressure.
Iran talks failure sparks confrontation fears
Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi, Reuters - February 23, 2012
The U.N. nuclear watchdog's latest mission to Iran failed to budge a defiant Tehran over its disputed nuclear program, sending oil prices to a nine-month high over fears of an increasing risk of confrontation with the West.
Israel: Iran will have U.S.-range missile in 2-3 years
Jeffrey Heller and Mark Heinrich, Reuters - February 22, 2012
Israel believes that within 2-3 years Iran will have intercontinental missiles able to hit the United States, an Israeli minister said in remarks aimed at raising awareness of the threat it believes a nuclear Iran would pose to the world.
Nuclear Inspectors Say Their Mission to Iran Has Failed: What We're Reading Now
Feb 22, 2012
IRAN
Iran says will strike its foes pre-emptively
Nasser Karimi, Associated Press - February 21, 2012
As pressure mounts over Iran's nuclear program, a top Iranian general warned Tuesday that the nation will pre-emptively strike anyone who threatens it.
Nuclear Inspectors Say Their Mission to Iran Has Failed
David E. Sanger and Alan Cowell, New York Times - February 21, 2012
A visit by international nuclear inspectors to Iran ended in failure Tuesday. Tehran not only blocked access to a site the inspectors believe could have been used for tests on how to produce a nuclear weapon, they reported, but it also refused to agree to a process for resolving questions about other “possible military dimensions” to its nuclear program.
In Din Over Iran, Rattling Sabers Echo
Scott Shane, New York Times - February 21, 2012
The United States has now endured what by some measures is the longest period of war in its history, with more than 6,300 American troops killed and 46,000 wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and the ultimate costs estimated at $3 trillion. Both wars lasted far longer than predicted. The outcomes seem disappointing and uncertain. So why is there already a new whiff of gunpowder in the air?
Poll: 32% say Iran greatest enemy
Mackenzie Weinger, Politico - February 20, 2012
A record number of Americans believe the United States’s public enemy number one is Iran, according to a new poll out Monday.
Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy with Iran: What We're Reading Now
Jan 24, 2012
IRAN
Bid to restart Iran nuclear talks pits Western demands against Tehran’s defiance
Ali Akbar Dareini, AP - January 24, 2012
The last time Iran’s nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.
Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy with Iran
Tony Karon, TIME Magazine (Blog) - January 23, 2012
Despite the deafening racket of the mass-media drums of war, neither President Obama nor the Pentagon has an appetite for a confrontation with Iran that could unleash havoc across the Middle East and would at best simply delay Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Foreign Policy: Stop The Madness
Yousaf Butt, NPR - January 23, 2012
Olli Heinonen is alarmed that Iran has begun producing 20 percent enriched uranium at a new, deeply buried site, and calculates that Iranian scientists could further purify the material to the 90 percent enrichment needed for a bomb in about six months' time.
Bank Tejarat Banned by U.S., EU in Move Stifling Iran Trade
Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Bloomberg Businessweek - January 24, 2012
The U.S. and European Union took steps to cut off from the international financial system Bank Tejarat, the last institution financing high-volume exports and imports between Iran and Europe.
Iran’s navy chief says his forces will hold war games in international waters:What We're Reading Now
Dec 22, 2011
IRAN
Israel's Barak boosts Obama amid U.S. threats on Iran
Dan Williams, Reuters -- December 22, 2011
Israel's defense minister extolled what he called Barack Obama's resolve and risk-taking on Thursday, remarks likely to help the president's re-election bid after the Pentagon beefed up warnings to Iran over its nuclear program.
Iran’s navy chief says his forces will hold war games in international waters
The Washington Post -- December 22, 2011
Iran’s navy chief said Thursday his forces plan to hold a 10-day drill in international waters beyond the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, an exercise that could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels.
NORTH KOREA
South Korea Will Allow Citizens to Send Condolences to North
Jason Strother, Voice of America -- December 22, 2011
The South Korean government has not offered North Korea official condolences about the death of ruler Kim Jong Il, but it is allowing private citizens and organizations to express their sympathy by granting rare cross-border contact. The decision does not sit well with some activist groups who say no one should feel sorry about the loss of a dictator.
Thousands gather in snow to mourn Kim Jong Il
CBS News -- December 21, 2011
ens of thousands of mourners packed Pyongyang's snowy main square Wednesday to pay respects to late leader Kim Jong Il as North Korea tightened security in cities and won loyalty pledges from top generals for Kim's son and anointed heir.
Pakistan to boycott meeting over deadly NATO raid: What We're Reading Now
Nov 29, 2011
IRAN
Iran Nuclear Sabotage Suspected After Reports of Blasts at Atomic Centers
Ladane Nasseri, Bloomberg - November 29, 2011
Reports of a blast in the province of Isfahan, home to one of Iran’s atomic facilities, adds to a series of unexplained incidents that have raised suspicions of sabotage against the country’s nuclear program.
Analysis: For Iran, the sanctions price may be worth paying
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - November 29, 2011
Iran regards its nuclear programme as a source of power and prestige and tougher sanctions look unlikely to alter Tehran's cost-benefit analysis much despite the economic pain they cause.
The Real Lesson of Iraq
Malrid Braut-Hegghammer, NYT (Op-Ed) - November 28, 2011
Parallels between Iraq’s former nuclear weapons program and the Iranian nuclear program have shaped policy debates for nearly a decade. We are still paying the costs of failing in Iraq. Israel now seems determined to make similar mistakes in Iran.
NORTH & SOUTH KOREA
Blix: NK Not a Topic at Seoul Nuclear Summit
Evan Ramstad, WSJ - November 29, 2011
Hans Blix, the Swedish lawyer and nuclear specialist who led the International Atomic Energy Agency in the 1990s and the U.N. nuclear verification commission a decade ago, was in Seoul Tuesday to meet President Lee Myung-bak and help define the agenda for the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted in Seoul in March.
NATO Mess with Pakistan: What We're Reading Now
Nov 28, 2011
IRAN
Iran builds 3 more submarines for navy
AP - November 27, 2011
Iranian state TV says the country has added three more domestically-built submarines to its naval fleet. The move is seen as part of Iran's effort to upgrade its defense capabilities amid escalating tension over its nuclear program. The West suspects Iran is aiming at developing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
Oil Soars On Geopolitical Tensions
Sarah Kent, WSJ - November 28, 2011
rude futures took off as investors reacted to the prospect of a European Union ban on Iranian oil imports and renewed optimism that European politicians are making headway in their efforts to contain the region's debt crisis.
Iran's Parliament Orders Ties With Britain Reduced
Nasser Karimi, AP - November 27, 2011
Iran's parliament on Sunday approved a bill requiring both Iran and Britain to withdraw their respective ambassadors from each other's countries, following London's support of recently upgraded U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
NORTH KOREA
N. Korean leader faces challenges in power succession, Yu says
Kim Kwang-tae, Yonhap News - November 26, 2011
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il faces challenges in handing over power to his youngest son, Seoul's top official in charge of relations with Pyongyang said.
