Handsome accordion player is North Korea's kingmaker: What We're Reading Now
Dec 23, 2011

IRAN
Iran Navy to Hold War Games Near Crucial Sea Lanes
Rick Gladstone, The New York Times -- December 22, 2011
Iran put neighbors on notice Thursday that it was about to conduct vast naval exercises in the Arabian Sea, including war games near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for international oil traffic.

Bill Clinton says US must mull all options on Iran
Associated Foreign Press -- December 22, 2011
Former US president Bill Clinton said in a television interview to be shown Wednesday that President Barack Obama should not rule out military action on Iran, but there might be other ways "to skin the cat."

NORTH KOREA
North Korea Warns South to Respect Late Leader
Voice of America -- December 23, 2011
North Korea accused the South Friday of an intolerable response to the death of supreme leader Kim Jong Il by expressing sympathy for the North Korean people, but deciding not to send a government delegation to Kim's funeral next week.

Handsome accordion player is North Korea's kingmaker
Jack Kim, Reuters -- December 23, 2011
The power behind the throne in North Korea was a dashing accordion player in his youth, whose life changed when he met the daughter of autocratic founder Kim Il-Sung at university and wooed and married her despite the dictator's opposition.

Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir: What We're Reading Now
Dec 21, 2011

IRAN
Top general says Iran shouldn't 'miscalculate our resolve'
Barbara Starr, CNN -- December 20, 2011
As Gen. Martin Dempsey toured around the globe over the last eight days, one issue was prominent -- Iran's nuclear intentions. Dempsey, in an exclusive interview with CNN, warned that Iran is playing a dangerous game that could ensnare the Middle East, the United States and others into conflict and a renewed nuclear arms race. From Iraq to Afghanistan, Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff heard about growing concerns about Iran's ambitions.

Diplomats agree to increase pressure on Iran
Roberto Landucci and Philip Pullella, Reuters -- December 21, 2011
Diplomats from the United States, the European Union and other allies agreed on Tuesday to step up pressure on Iran to force it to resume talks over its nuclear program, an Italian diplomatic source said.

NORTH KOREA
Why U.S.-China Strategic Competition Is Unlikely to Help Manage North Korea’s Transition
Tony Karon, Time -- December 21, 2011
The growing geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China makes prospects for productive partnership in managing North Korea much less likely.

Who Has North Korea’s Nuclear 'Football'? Few Have an Answer
Elaine M. Grossman, National Journal -- December 20, 2011
On the heels of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s death, outside experts seem more uncertain than ever about who retains control over the hermit nation’s nuclear weapons or authority for their potential use.

North Korea's nuclear program
Suzanne Kelly and Pam Benson, CNN -- December 20, 2011
When it comes to assessing the future of North Korea's nuclear position and potential threat under a new leader, even the experts describe this transfer of power as an interesting predicament.

Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir
Benjamin Kang Lim, Reuters -- December 21, 2011
North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.

Syria crackdown has killed 5,000 people, UN says: What We're Reading Now
Dec 13, 2011

IRAN
Israeli aide: U.S. will lose standing if Iran gets nuclear weapons
Ben Birnbaum, The Washington Times -- December 12, 2011
The United States could lose its role as the “main player” in the Middle East if Washington fails to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iran Rejects US Calls to Return Downed Drone
Voice of America -- December 13, 2011
Iran says the United States should accept its consequences after a U.S. surveillance aircraft went down in Iranian territory earlier this month.  The Obama administration has made a formal request for Iran to return the aircraft, but Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the U.S. should apologize instead.

NORTH KOREA
US envoy says North Korea 'must change behaviour'
Associated Foreign Press -- December 12, 2011
The United States will consider meeting North Korean officials if they make good on nuclear disarmament pledges, but they first "must change their behaviour", according to a top US envoy.  "The basic, most important point that has to be underscored is that it's really up to North Korea to take the right steps," Glyn Davies, the US special representative on North Korea, told reporters after meeting Japanese officials on Monday.

N Korea furious at South's Christmas lights plan
BBC News -- December 11, 2011
North Korea has warned South Korea of "unexpected consequences" if it lights up a Christmas tree-shaped tower near their tense border.

What's next after 'super committee' failure?: What We're Reading Now
Nov 22, 2011

IRAN
Iran misjudged West's resolve in nuclear standoff: analysts
Parisa Hafezi, Reuters -- November 22, 2011
Grudgingly admired in the past by the West for its negotiating skills and by the Iranian nation for its uncompromising stance, Iran's leadership may have misjudged recent confrontational tactics in its nuclear standoff with big powers, analysts say.

U.S., Russia and U.K. Back Israel at Mideast Meeting
Fox News -- November 22, 2011
In a boost to Israel, Russia joined the U.S. and Britain on Tuesday in backing the Jewish state's view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a nuclear arms-free zone without progress on regional peace.

Crude up on Iran nuclear program tensions
Reuters -- November 22, 2011
U.S. crude futures rose on Tuesday in choppy trading as concerns about rising geopolitical tensions over OPEC-member Iran's nuclear program bolstered oil prices.

NORTH KOREA
US restates N.Korea nuclear demands
Associated Foreign Press -- November 22, 2011
The United States will consider holding further talks with North Korea but Pyongyang must halt its uranium enrichment programme before full disarmament negotiations resume, a senior US official said Tuesday.

IAEA, South Korea to Boost Efforts Against North Korean Nukes
Global Security Newswire -- November 21, 2011
The International Atomic Energy Agency and South Korea have agreed to increase their collaboration on countering North Korea's nuclear warhead development, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

Opinion: Obama should test Iran's nuclear offer: What We're Reading Now
Oct 07, 2011

IRAN
Opinion: Obama should test Iran's nuclear offer
Graham Allison, Washington Post -- October 7, 2011
President Obama should take a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook in winning the final inning of the Cold War. Obama can challenge President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to put his enriched uranium where his mouth is — by stopping all Iranian enrichment of uranium beyond the 5 percent level.

Cables Say Syria, Iran Illegally Moved Cash to North Korea
Thomas Catan, The Wall Street Journal -- October 7, 2011
As it sought to stop North Korea from spreading its nuclear technology, the U.S. uncovered signs in 2007 that the country was channeling funds through a major Middle Eastern bank based in Jordan, one of its closest regional allies, according to diplomatic cables posted online by document leaking website WikiLeaks.

NORTH KOREA
N.Korea could conduct third nuclear test: Seoul
AFP -- October 7, 2011
North Korea could conduct a third nuclear test or another missile launch before next year's US and South Korean presidential elections if disarmament talks fail, a senior Seoul official warned on Friday.

Special Report: Crisis grips North Korean rice bowl
Reuters -- October 7, 2011
In a pediatric hospital in North Korea's most productive farming province, children lay two to a bed. All showed signs of severe malnutrition: skin infections, patchy hair, listless apathy.

1 dead in blast at French nuclear plant, but no leak reported: What We're Reading Now
Sep 12, 2011

FRANCE
1 dead in blast at French nuclear plant, but no leak reported
Douglas Stanglin, USA Today -- September 12, 2011
The French nuclear safety body says an explosion has rocked a nuclear plant in southern France, the Associated Press reports. French media report at least one death, but no immediate radioactive leakage to the outside.

Explosion at French Nuclear-Waste Plant Leaves One Dead, 4 Hurt
Tara Patel, Blloomberg -- September 12, 2011
An explosion at a nuclear-waste plant in the south of France left one person dead and four people injured, according to Electricite de France, which operates the site.

UNITED STATES
Bob Woodward: George W. Bush 'rolled his eyes" at Dick Cheney
Tim Mak, Politico -- September 12, 2011  
President George W. Bush “rolled his eyes” when Vice President Dick Cheney signaled his interest in bombing a Syrian nuclear plant at a key meeting of White House advisers, Bob Woodward writes in Monday’s Washington Post.

Cheney: Nuclear Terrorism Is ‘Most Dangerous Threat’ We Face
Bridget Johnson, Enterprise Journal -- September 9, 2011
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said that the “most dangerous threat” we face is nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists.

How Sept. 11 Changed the Nuclear Industry: What We're Reading Now
Sep 09, 2011

IRAN
West Keep's Pressure On Iran's Nuclear Program
Margaret Besheer, Voice of America -- September 07, 2011
Western nations on Wednesday warned that they will not let up their pressure on Iran to comply with international demands that it suspend its nuclear enrichment activities and answer questions about its disputed atomic program.

In shift, Iran's President Calls for End to Syrian Crackdown
Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times -- September 8, 2011
For years, posters celebrating the decades-old alliance joining Syria and Iran festooned the streets and automobiles of the Syrian capital — the images of Presidents Bashar al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad embroidered with roses and daffodils.

NORTH KOREA
North Korea leader Kim Jong-il appears with Kim Jong-un
BBC News -- September 09, 2011
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il has appeared at national celebrations with his son and heir apparent Kim Jong-un.

North Korea Problem "Very Tough," Obama Nominee Says
Global Security Newswire -- September 8, 2011
The Obama administration's nominee to assume a top spot at the State Department on Wednesday said Washington has "no good choices" in resolving the long-running standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons work, Agence France-Presse reported.

What We're Reading Now
Sep 02, 2011

IRAN
Iran charm offensive fails to ease nuclear fears
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters -- September 1, 2011
An Iranian effort to show increased openness about its disputed nuclear program is doing little to dispel Western suspicions about Tehran's atomic ambitions, with one Vienna-based envoy dismissing it as a "charm offensive."

Iran is said to be trying to shelter nuclear fuel program
David Sanger, New York Times -- September 1, 2011
Iran is moving its most critical nuclear fuel production to a heavily defended underground military facility outside the holy city of Qum, where it is less vulnerable to attack from the air and, the Iranians hope, the kind of cyberattack that crippled its nuclear program, according to intelligence officials.

Afghanistan?. Check, Iraq?. Check, Iran?. Checking?
Mark Thompson, Time -- August 31, 2011
Nice to know Air Force Lieut. Colonel Leif Eckholm is keeping busy in his job inside the inner sanctum of American military power: the strategic plans and policy directorate for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Perhaps that's why he has just written

The Military Option on Iran: Be Careful What You Wish For
Peter Crail, Arms Control Now -- September 1, 2011
TIME Magazine has recently highlighted an analysis entitled “Invading Iran: Lessons from Iraq” by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Leif Eckholm, who works in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the analysis was published by Stanford’s Hoover Institution, where Eckholm served as a defense fellow).

NORTH KOREA
Obama moves to sell Northrop drones to South Korea
Reuters -- September 1, 2011
The Obama administration has begun consulting Congress on plans to sell remotely piloted Global Hawk surveillance planes to South Korea, which came close to all-out war with North Korea last year, two people familiar with the matter said.

North Korea ghost town reflects deeper woes as it woos China
Jeremy Laurence, Reuters -- September 1, 2011
Long grass grows around the idle hotels, stores are covered in cobwebs and a big padlock hangs off the front of the bank at the deserted shopping centre.

What We're Reading Now
Aug 30, 2011

IRAN
Iran won't stop uranium enrichment program
Associated Press -- August 29, 2011
Iran won't stop uranium enrichment activities the U.N. has demanded it halt, the country's nuclear chief said Monday.  ran says it needs stockpiles for a medical research reactor, and that the level of enrichment -- up to 20 percent -- is far below the more than 90 percent needed to build a nuclear weapon.

Iran: Ready for Conditional Cooperation with IAEA
Voice of America News -- August 29, 2011
Iran says it will not stop enriching uranium but is ready for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, provided the U.N. nuclear watchdog limits its demands.

Tehran says no to nuclear swap
Los Angeles Times -- August 29, 2011
Iran says it’s no longer interested in talking with the West about swapping nuclear fuel rather than making its own.

NORTH KOREA
US: North Korea Nuclear Concessions Welcome, But Insufficient
David Gollust, Voice of America News -- August 24, 2011
The United States has called reported North Korean nuclear concessions welcome but insufficient. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told Russian officials that Pyongyang would freeze tests and production of nuclear weapons and missiles in the context of renewed six-party negotiations.

Seoul Names New Minister on North Korea Affairs
Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal -- August 30, 2011
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday appointed his former chief of staff to lead the government ministry dealing with North Korea and moved the current minister to a post in the presidential office, a signal that his North Korea policy is unlikely to change.

What We're Reading Now
Aug 24, 2011

IRAN
Iran shows UN advanced nuke equipment
George Jahn, Forbes -- August 24, 2011
Diplomats say Iran has allowed a top U.N. official access to a site where it is developing advanced centrifuges that can be used to make nuclear fuel or to arm warheads.

Iran shows U.N. official all nuclear sites: envoy
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters -- August 24, 2011
Iran allowed a senior U.N. nuclear inspector rare access to a facility for developing advanced uranium enrichment machines during a tour of all of the country's main atomic sites, an Iranian envoy said on Tuesday.

NORTH KOREA
North Korea Is Said to Consider Nuclear Weapons Test Moratorium
Seth Mydans and Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times -- August 24, 2011
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has agreed to consider a moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and production and to return to stalled six-party talks on the nation’s nuclear program, the Russian presidential press secretary told Russian news media on Wednesday.

North Korea supplied nuclear software to Iran: German report
Madeline Chambers, Reuters -- August 24, 2011
North Korea has intensified its cooperation with Iran this year and supplied it with a computer program that could help the Islamic Republic build nuclear weapons, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing western intelligence sources.