NewsTrust - Nuclear Weapons - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Mainstream)

The False Debate About Attacking Iran

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Nicholas D. Kristof - Mar. 24 (Opinion) - There really isn't such a debate .. credible experts are overwhelmingly on one side.

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The Only Option on Iran

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Carl Bildt, Erkki Tuomioja - Mar. 20 (Opinion) - We are deeply concerned about all the loose talk regarding a possible military attack on Iran because of the growing uncertainty over parts of its nuclear program. Not only would such an attack be a clear violation of the charter of the United Nations. It could have severely negative repercussions across the region..

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Thank God It's Over: The Top 25 Moments of 2010

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Foreign Policy - Dec. 28 (Editorial) - With earthquakes in Haiti and western China, floods in Pakistan, a volcanic eruption in Iceland, and wildfires in Russia, the Earth was intent on releasing a lot of pent-up anger in 2010. Tremors and eruptions -- along with the more basic elements of fire and water -- seemed to shape the past year's events even more than traditional foreign policy actors. Meanwhile, Europe struggled to regain its economic footing, China continued to rapidly grow its GDP, Middle East peace talks crumbled, and world leaders misbehaved (we're looking at you, Vladmir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi). But there were bright spots, too: A group of Chilean miners escaped after enduring two months trapped underground and long-suffering Burmese democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi was released after spending nearly two decades in detention and under house arrest. Here are a few glimpses of 2010's international high- and lowlights.

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Listen to North Korea

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Washington Post - By Jimmy Carter - Nov. 24 (Editorial) - No one can completely understand the motivations of the North Koreans, but it is entirely possible that their recent revelation of their uranium enrichment centrifuges and Pyongyang's shelling of a South Korean island Tuesday are designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future. Ultimately, the choice for the United States may be between diplomatic niceties and avoiding a catastrophic confrontation.

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Run Silent. Run Deep. Run Obsolete.

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Timothy Egan - Jul. 15 (Opinion) - What we will get for those billions are sleek new nuclear-armed behemoths to replace the sleek old nuclear-armed behemoths, all in service to a dinosaur policy. Once the subs are in use, they will likely perform the same tired mission, ready to fire the last shot in a world going down. Meanwhile, above the surface of the ocean, crazed religious leaders in tents and Flintstone huts plot murder against innocents using Radio Shack rejects.

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In the Koreas, Five Possible Ways to War

Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By David E. Sanger - May. 28 (Opinion) - President Obama intends to break North Korea’s cycle of aggressive behavior toward its southern neighbor but his approach may not be enough to avoid a conflict.

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Libya's efforts to build economy, tourism snagged by its own capriciousness

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Sudarsan Raghavan - Apr. 14 (Comment) - A Swiss businessman has been jailed in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, on immigration violation charges, an action widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of Gaddafi's son. Switzerland, in turn, has barred Libyan officials. In February, Gaddafi banned visas for citizens from 20 European countries in an order that was not lifted until late last month. His call for jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland came after a Swiss referendum prohibited the construction of new minarets. Since then, Libyan officials have said that Gaddafi meant an economic boycott and not an armed struggle. Last month, Libya imposed a trade and economic embargo on Switzerland that stopped flights and halted oil exports. Libya has also withdrawn billions from Swiss banks. Ordinary Libyans have loyally applauded Gaddafi's actions. But they have also felt the brunt of the diplomatic fallout.

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Obama: 'Great Progress' on Nuclear Security, But Mideast Peace is Another Story -

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:06:39 -0700

Politics Daily - Apr. 13 - Filed under: Foreign Policy, National Security, Arms Control, Nuclear ProliferationPresident Obama closed his two-day Nuclear Security Summit with an upbeat report about the "candor and cooperative spirit" at the 47-nation conclave, and the "great progress" made toward a safer world. He said all participants had agreed on "the urgency and seriousness of the threat" of vulnerable nuclear material and his goal of securing it in four years. But, there was a striking difference in tone by the end of Obama's news conference, when he talked about whether his achievements will help rejuvenate prospects for Middle East peace. The need for it is "as critical as ever," he said, but unless the Israeli and Palestinian people "are willing to break out of old patterns of antagonism," it doesn't matter how much pressure the United States brings to bear. He said the United States would be "constantly present, constantly engaged," but predicted progress would be halting and frustrating and will be measured "not in days, not in weeks. It's going to take time." In contrast, Obama offered a bright picture of U.S. leadership on nuclear security. He ticked off progress on numerous fronts in just the past week: The nuclear security summit, the new treaty he signed with Russia to reduce nuclear arsenals in both countries, and a "nuclear posture review" that recommends a reduced role for nuclear weapons and places prevention of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism at the top of the U.S. agenda. Asked about how the promises made by many countries will be enforced, Obama said leaders made public commitments that they will take seriously. Progress will be tracked by experts, he said, and participants agreed to a follow-up summit in 2012 in South Korea. Obama also expressed optimism that the Chinese will rebalance their currency because that decision will be advantageous to their country, and that the Chinese will ultimately be on board for sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. They have sent official representatives to New York to help draft a sanctions resolution, he said. Clearly the Chinese are concerned about their trade relationships with Iran, Obama said, and "sanctions aren't a magic wand." But he said he told President Hu Jintao, "Words have to mean something .There have to be some consequences." He added: "My interest is not having a long drawn out process for months. I want to see us move forward boldly and quickly." When a reporter asked if Obama would call on Israel to sign a nuclear nonproliferation treaty, he replied: "I'm not going to comment on their program." But he also said that "consistently we have urged all countries" to sign such a treaty.?Permalink?|?Email this?|?Linking?Blogs?|?Comments

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The Nuclear Security Summit

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - Apr. 11 (Editorial) - The conference on nuclear threats must produce more than feel-good communiqués. Strong commitments from like-minded leaders are needed to keep control of all nuclear materials.

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Espionage helps sow seeds of paranoia in Tehran

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:22:21 -0700

The Guardian - Mar. 31 - Iranian nuclear scientist's defection to the US is latest in series of blows dealt to Tehran regime by western intelligence warIn the absence of any sign so far that Iran will curb its nuclear ambitions under the threat of sanctions or military action, or in exchange for economic incentives, espionage is the only strand of western strategy towards Iran that appears to be having any success.Yesterday's report that Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri had defected to the US is one of a series of incidents that have sown paranoia in the top ranks of the Tehran regime.If Amiri was lured away from his job by the CIA, as ABC News and others have reported, it will have at the very least depleted the talent pool available to the Iranian programme, and provided valuable insight and gossip on the workings of a highly secretive project.The greatest triumph of this intelligence war to date was the revelation last September that Iran was building a covert uranium enrichment site near the city of Qom.The discovery set back Iranian development of the site and opened it up to UN inspections. It destroyed its usefulness to Tehran either as a fallback in case its publicly acknowledged enrichment plant in Natanz was bombed or as part of a covert parallel uranium processing cycle aimed at building a bomb – as western governments allege.According to some reports, Amiri's defection helped blow the cover of the Qom site, which had been under satellite surveillance. Other reports suggest that intelligence from British and French spies proved decisive. Either way, there was no doubt it represented a big win for western intelligence.There have been other mysterious incidents that hint at the covert war over Iran's nuclear project boiling beneath the surface.Ali Reza Asgari, a former deputy defence minister and general in the Revolutionary Guards – who have ultimate control over Iran's nuclear and missile programmes – disappeared in Istanbul in 2007. There have been various reports since that he ended up in Israel or the west.In January this year another Iranian nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed. There was speculation at the time Mohammadi had been killed by Israeli agents or Iranian rebels. But Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA counter-terrorism official said: "He was a friend of Amiri and believed still in touch with him. The [Revolutionary Guards] killed him and tried to blame it on the Israelis."A former senior member of the Bush administration indicated that the technical problems Iran has experienced getting large numbers of centrifuges to operate at high speeds over a sustained period were "no accident". The comment was an acknowledgement of reports that the US has led a western effort to sabotage the programme.The Iranian programme however has shown its capacity to advance doggedly in the face of such obstacles, continually increasing Tehran's stockpile of low enriched uranium, now over two tonnes, and showing its ability to enrich that stockpile to higher levels, an essential precondition to making a bomb."There are two prongs to the western intelligence effort – gathering intelligence, and feeding faulty equipment," said Robert Baer, a former CIA agent and the author of The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower. "But all of it is just a stopgap. It doesn't solve the problem."IranNuclear weaponsUnited StatesMiddle EastJulian Borgerguardian.co.uk ? Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Missing Iranian nuclear scientist "resettled" in the US

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Julian Borger - Mar. 31 (Opinion) - An Iranian nuclear physicist who vanished last summer during a visit to Saudi Arabia was persuaded to defect by the CIA, a US report claims ABC News is reporting that Shahram Amiri, a young Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing while on a pilgrimage to Mecca in late May or early June last year, is now living in the US having been seduced by US intelligence. According to the people briefed on the intelligence operation, Amiri?s disappearance was part of a long-planned CIA operation to get him to defect. The CIA reportedly approached the scientist in Iran through an intermediary who made an offer of resettlement on behalf of the United States. Last October, Iran accused the US of seizing Amiri, an expert on radioactive isotopes at ...

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The Story of 'Operation Orchard': How Israel Destroyed Syria's Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:27:40 -0800

Der Spiegel - Nov. 04 -

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Obama may face fight on treaties

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Boston Globe - By Bender, Bryan - Oct. 25 (Opinion) - President Obama's vision of global cooperation - symbolized by his surprise Nobel Peace Prize - is in for a crucial test in the months ahead when he begins sending a series of treaties to the US Senate, where skepticism ...Questions for Thorbjorn Jagland Peace Be With YouNew York TimesWSJIDEBATE: Was It Premature to Honor Obama with the Nobel Peace Prize?Wall Street JournalObama Gets 'Incomplete' as Decisions on War, Joblessness LoomBloombergBellingham Herald?-Niles Daily Star?-The MIT Techall 165 news articles??

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Iran's nuclear programme: Deadline missed

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Economist - Oct. 24 (Editorial) - Iran has again failed to do deadlines. It has been evading them in the seven years since an opposition group first outed its extensive covert nuclear programme, despite five UN Security Council resolutions that have told it to halt its suspect nuclear work. After talks that ended in Vienna on October 21st, Iran and the three countries trying to strike a side-deal over new fuel for a Tehran-based nuclear reactor were told by Mohamed ElBaradei, outgoing chief of the UN’s nuclear guardian, that they had just two days to take his draft agreement or leave it.

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A World Without Nuclear Weapons: Six Wrong-Headed Cliches about Disarmament

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Der Spiegel - By Oliver Thränert - Oct. 21 (Opinion) - A world without nuclear weapons presupposes a new world order. It is a goal that will not be achieved overnight. However, we should begin. Sooner or later, the assumption that humanity can continue to live with nuclear weapons without deploying them will prove to be a misapprehension.

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How to Press the Advantage With Iran

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Flynt Leverett, Hillary Mann Leverett - Sep. 29 (Opinion) - Instead of relying on sanctions, the Obama administration should seek a strategic realignment with Iran, as President Nixon did with China.

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Iran’s intentions

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dawn - Sep. 28 (Editorial) - IRAN’S disclosure about its upcoming uranium enrichment facility has expectedly upset the US and its western allies. As it is the two sides have been trading charges and counter-charges since 2003 when Iran’s nuclear programme came to light.

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Time for United States to keep promise on nuclear disarmament

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle Times - By Cherie Eichholz - Aug. 06 (Opinion) - More than 50 years after the United States dropped nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States has a golden opportunity to salvage the promise it made in an international 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

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On Iran, Do Nothing. Yet

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Newsweek - By Fareed Zakaria - Jul. 29 (Opinion) - The hyperbole in America and Israel about apocalyptic mullahs with nukes missed the big story in Iran, which was that the mullahs were not apocalyptic, and they were fading in influence anyway. One might have said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is losing its distinct religious basis of power and becoming another Middle Eastern dictatorship—except that it now hosts an opposition movement that does not seem ready to quiet down.

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North Korea: How to Deal With Dictator Kim Jong-il

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Robert Joseph - Jun. 06 (Opinion) - Holding out the prospect of “further isolating” Pyongyang and calling for a return to the diplomatic table must be music to the ears of the ailing Dear Leader who wants nothing more than to be thrown in that briar patch. This may be particularly important as the uncertain succession drama continues in North Korea. Kim Jong-il understands that the very survival or his regime, particularly as it transitions to his young heir, is dependent on his country being isolated.

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North Korea, the Next Iraq?

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Atlantic Monthly - By Robert D. Kaplan - May. 28 (Opinion) - If he doesn’t hit North Korea hard with sanctions, he risks demonstrating to Iran that America is a pushover. Indeed, Obama’s Iran policy – which requires the stick of tough action in addition to the carrot of talks and recognition – is on the line in North Korea. On the other hand, vigorous sanctions against North Korea could lead to the collapse of the regime. And anyone who talks breezily about “helping” North Korea to collapse has simply not learned the lesson of Iraq: The only thing worse than a totalitarian state is no state at all.

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North Korea blast is a test for U.S.

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By Paul Carroll - May. 26 (Opinion) - ... it is important to focus on two things in the aftermath of the test. First, what does this mean for the threat that North Korea poses to international security? Second, what should our next moves be?

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No more sunshine in North Korea

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Simon Tisdall - May. 26 (Opinion) - North Korea's latest actions, seen as recklessly dangerous by the outside world, may be broadly explained in three ways. The first is that Pyongyang is in the grip of an intensifying power struggle over the succession to the country's ailing president and Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il.

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Net Zero

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Foreign Policy - By Ken Adelman - May. 21 (Opinion) - These men are realistic enough to acknowledge that there are lots of steps between the world today and the lofty goal of tomorrow -- such as tough-minded verification, everywhere around the world, to eliminate all existing nukes and to preclude building any nukes anywhere in that no-nukes world.

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The Rocket Science of Missile Threats

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By William J. Broad - Apr. 26 (Opinion) - Many Western analysts greeted North Korea’s failure to put a satellite into orbit early this month with scorn, with one joke complimenting the dictator for a successful launch into the deep sea. “Pacific plankton will forever live in fear of the mighty reach of Kim Jong Il,” one analyst wrote, “now that millions have perished in one mighty splash.”

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