U.N. nuclear chief holds talks in Tehran, hopes for deal - What We’re Reading Now
May 21, 2012
Iran
Iran sanctions bill blocked in U.S. Senate
Joby Warrick, Washington Post - May 18, 2012
A Senate bill intended to tighten economic sanctions against Iran was blocked Thursday by Senate Republicans who said they were holding out for an even tougher measure that included an explicit threat of a U.S. military strike if Iran refuses to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Six nations agree on nuclear proposal to Iran
Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times – May 19, 2012
The permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have agreed on a proposal to help Iran fuel a small reactor used for medical purposes, and to forgo seeking further United Nations economic sanctions. In exchange, Iran would be required to stop enriching uranium to 20% of purity, surrender its stockpile of uranium already enriched to that level, and halt operations at an underground enrichment facility near the city of Qom.
U.N. nuclear chief holds talks in Tehran, hopes for deal
Fredrik Dahl and Marcus George, Reuters – May 21, 2012
The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief held rare talks in Tehran on Monday after voicing hope for a deal to investigate suspected atomic bomb research - a gesture Iran might make to try to get international sanctions relaxed and deflect threats of war.
Barak: Nuclear talks allowing Iran to continue atomic bid 'ridiculous' - What We're Reading Now
May 17, 2012
Iran
Barak: Nuclear talks allowing Iran to continue atomic bid 'ridiculous'
Haaretz - May 17, 2012
Talks between Iran and world powers that will end in agreed-upon measures that would nonetheless allow Tehran to continue and pursue military aspects of its nuclear program are "ridiculous," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview on Wednesday.
U.S. Senate to consider new Iran sanctions on Thursday
Roberta Rampton, Reuters - May 16, 2012
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid will ask the U.S. Senate to approve a new package of oil and economic sanctions on Thursday aimed at further pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear program, a Democratic leadership aide told Reuters.
Plans to strike Iran "ready", says US Israel envoy
Maayan Lubell, Reuters - May 17, 2012
U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms.
Korean Peninsula
NKorea Nuclear Reactor Construction Progressing
Matthew Pennington, Associated Press - May 16, 2012
A U.S.-based institute said Wednesday new satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed building work on a reactor after months of inactivity.
Iran Nuke Talks to Continue, Sign of Progress: What We're Reading Now
May 16, 2012
Iran
Iran Nuke Talks to Continue, Sign of Progress
George Jahn, Associated Press - May 15, 2012
Negotiators for the U.N. nuclear agency and Iran say they have made progress in talks focused on the agency's probe of Tehran's alleged work on nuclear weapons. International Atomic Energy Agency chief negotiator Herman Nackaerts and Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh told reporters Tuesday that the two sides will meet again next week for more talks in Vienna.
Iran nuclear concession would test big power unity
William Maclean and Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - May 16, 2012
Facing an imminent toughening of sanctions, Iran is hinting at a readiness to give some ground in its long nuclear stand-off with world powers, but any flexibility could split their ranks and lead to protracted uncertainty about how to respond.
Living with a nuclear Iran
Charles Pena, McClatchy News Service (Op-Ed) - May 15, 2012
After months of heated rhetoric, the threat of a conflict with Iran over its nuclear program seems to be subsiding.
Korean Peninsula
China pushes North Korea to drop nuclear test plan
Benjamin Kang Lim, Reuters - May 16, 2012
China has been quietly and gently pressuring North Korea to scrap plans for a third nuclear test, said two sources with knowledge of closed-door discussions between the countries, but there is no indication how the North will react. If North Korea goes ahead with the test, China would consider taking some retaliatory steps, but they would not be substantive, a source with ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters.
What We’re Reading Now
May 15, 2012
IRAN
Iran upbeat on U.N. nuclear talks, diplomats skeptical
Fredrick Dahl, Reuters – May 15
Iran gave an upbeat assessment on Tuesday of talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog about its atomic activity but diplomats voiced doubt inspectors would gain access to a military site where they believe tests of use in making atomic bombs were carried out.
UK warns of more EU Iran sanctions if no change
Reuters – May 14
The European Union will impose tougher sanctions on Iran if it fails to take concrete steps to allay international concerns over its nuclear programme, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.
US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns: What We're Reading Now
May 08, 2012
Iran
US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns
George Jahn, Associated Press - May 7, 2012
The United States and Europe urged Iran on Monday to use upcoming talks with world powers to ease international worry that it may be aiming to develop nuclear arms, but Tehran said such concerns were based on "fake evidence" concocted to cause it political and economic harm.
Where does the Israeli security establishment stand on attacking Iran
Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor - May 6, 2012
Former Mossad boss Meir Dagan and former Shin Bet boss Yuval Diskin have joined former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in recent weeks in warning against an Israeli attack on Iran any time soon. Mr. Barak dismissed their views as serving Iranian interests, saying the "Olmert gang is traveling around the world and speaking in a way that is serving Iran."
Israeli PM Netanyahu unveils new unity government
Josef Federman, Associated Press - May 8, 2012
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a revamped coalition government on Tuesday, forming a broad alliance with the chief opposition party that could free his hand to take bold action on peace with the Palestinians and decide whether to attack Iran.
Korean Peninsula
N. Korean nuclear weapons: How real is the threat
Eric Talmadge, Associated Press - May 8, 2012
If getting international attention is North Korea's goal, then there is nothing quite like detonating a nuclear device to make your adversaries sit up and take notice. But experts say North Korea probably has a long way to go before it will be able to actually deploy a nuclear weapon.
Iran says seeks end to sanctions at talks with world powers: What We're Reading Now
May 02, 2012
Iran
Iran says seeks end to sanctions at talks with world powers
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - May 2, 2012
Iran said on Wednesday it was seeking an end to Western sanctions over its arms program during talks with world powers and criticized France for helping Israel, the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have atomic weapons.
IMF rejects call to cut ties with Iran
Agence France Presse - May 1, 2012
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday rejected a call by a US anti-Iran group for it to cut its relations with Tehran's central bank in order to adhere to US and European sanctions.
U.S. Expands Reach Of Sanctions On Syria, Iran
Kevin Hall, McClatchy News Services - May 2, 2012
The Obama administration on Tuesday granted the Treasury Department authority blacklist foreign nationals and companies that help Iran and Syria evade U.S. and international sanctions. President Barack Obama signed an executive order and notified congressional leaders that he had given Treasury expanded powers thwart the evasion of U.S. sanctions.
Iran is top ‘contingency’ in whittled U.S. war plans
Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times - May 1, 2012
The U.S. military is discussing significant changes in its war plans to adhere to President Obama’s strategic guidance that downplays preparing for conflicts such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and counts on allies to provide additional troops.
China Wants "Drastic" U.S., Russia Nuclear Arms Cuts: What We're Reading Now
May 01, 2012
U.S.
China Wants "Drastic" U.S., Russia Nuclear Arms Cuts
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - April 30, 2012
China called on the United States and Russia on Monday to make further "drastic" cuts in their nuclear arsenals and said all states with atomic arms should undertake not to be the first to use them.
Sorting Through the Defense Distortions
Walter Pincus, Washington Post - April 30, 2012
A Republican conference call on Thursday, titled “President Obama’s Failed Foreign Policy,” got me to thinking: How can voters hear an honest debate on national security and foreign policy issues in the presidential campaign when candidates or their supporters provide false or misleading information?
NATO Confident About Missile Shield
Associated Press - April 30, 2012
NATO's top official on Monday defended the alliance's plan for a shield against ballistic missiles in Europe, insisting the system is on track despite two U.S. reports that describe it as over budget and plagued by technical problems.
What if Realists Were in Charge of U.S. Foreign Policy?
Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy - April 30, 2012
Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy has been largely run by a coalition of neoconservatives and liberal internationalists. Both groups favor a highly activist foreign policy intended to spread democracy, defend human rights, prevent proliferation, and maintain American dominance, by force if necessary. Both groups are intensely hostile to so-called "rogue states," comfortable using American power to coerce or overthrow weaker powers, and convinced that America's power and political virtues entitle it to lead the world. The main difference between the two groups is that neoconservatives are hostile to international institutions like the United Nations (which they see as a constraint on America's freedom of action), whereas liberal interventionists believe these institutions can be an important adjunct to American power. Thus, liberal interventionists are just "kinder, gentler neocons," while neocons just "liberal interventionists on steroids."
Senate Follows House with More Questions About Construction of Savannah River Site's MOX Plant
Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle - April 30, 2012
U.S. Senate budget writers followed their House counterparts this week with questions about the rising costs of the mixed oxide fuel plant under construction at Savannah River Site.
States See Court Action on Yucca Nuclear-Waste Dump
James Rosen, McClatchy News - April 30, 2012
Federal judges are again being asked to solve a difficult problem that lawmakers can’t fix: the decades-old morass of how to handle tons of nuclear waste lying in temporary storage around the country.
Biden Calls Romney Foreign Policy Backward-Looking: What We're Reading Now
Apr 26, 2012
Biden Calls Romney Foreign Policy Backward-Looking
Anne Gearan, Associated Press - April 26, 2012
Vice President Joe Biden is calling the foreign policy outlined by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney shallow, ill-informed and dangerous and says it would return the United States to "the past we have worked so hard to move beyond."
It's Time for the U.S. to Finally Sign the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Lawrence Krauss, Slate - April 25, 2012
Yesterday, word leaked out that North Korea, the world’s most closed society, is getting ready to perform its third nuclear weapon test, following earlier tests in 2006 and 2009. If true, it would come on the heels of a recent failed rocket test (supposedly a step toward the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States) and saber-rattling threatening to reduce the South Korean government to “ashes.”
Appropriations Committee Fears MOX Delays, Overruns
Rob Pavey, The Augusta Chronicle - April 25, 2012
Rising costs at the mixed oxide fuel plant under construction at Savannah River Site could erode funding reserved for other national defense priorities, according to congressional budget writers.
Marco Rubio's Foreign Policy Speech Stakes Out a Middle Ground in GOP
Karen DeYoung, Washington Post - April 25, 2012
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) took another step onto the national stage Wednesday with a foreign policy speech that positioned him squarely in the middle between a dying breed of GOP moderates and his partisan brethren who have condemned President Obama as an international weakling.
Report: Small Nuclear War Would Inflict Global Woes
Shaun Waterman, Washington Times - April 24, 2012
Even a limited, regional nuclear war, such as one between archrivals India and Pakistan, would cause major changes in the global climate and likely starve a billion people, according to new research.
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.
Obama announces new sanctions on Syria and Iran: What We're Reading Now
Apr 24, 2012
Korean Peninsula
N. Korea Vows To Turn South's Leadership To Ashes
Associated Press - April 23, 2012
North Korea sharply escalated the rhetoric against its southern rival, claiming it will soon conduct "special actions" that would reduce South Korea's conservative government to ashes within minutes.
North Korea's nuclear test ready 'soon'
Benjamin Kang Lim, Reuters - April 24, 2012
North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters, which will draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch if it goes ahead.
Iran
Obama announces new sanctions on Syria and Iran
Lesley Clark, McClatchy Newspapers - April 23, 2012
President Barack Obama took aim Monday at Syria and Iran, imposing new sanctions on the two regimes as well as the “digital guns for hire” that develop technology enabling the two governments to monitor, track and harass their own people.
Facing Cyberattack, Iranian Officials Disconnect Some Oil Terminals From Internet
Thomas Erdbrink, New York Times - April 23, 2012
Iran disconnected several of its main Persian Gulf oil terminals from the Internet on Monday, local news media reported, as technicians were struggling to contain what they said were intensifying cyberattacks on the Oil Ministry and its affiliates.
