Nuclear Policy News - January 7, 2010

FISSILE MATERIAL
Obama's Nuclear Arms Pledge Hits Stumbling Block
Time by Eben Harrell

Nuclear weapons review put off
Washington Times by Bill Gertz

A False Nuclear Alarm
Foreign Policy by Joseph Cirincione

Think Again: Nuclear Weapons
Foreign Policy by John Mueller

EAST ASIA
1. S. Korea keeping tabs on possible China trip by Kim Jong-il 
Yonhap by Lee Chi-dong
The South Korean government has not detected any signs that a visit to China by the North Korean leader may be pending despite continued media speculation, but does not rule out the possibility, a senior official said Thursday.

MIDDLE EAST
2. Western diplomats to pursue tough UN sanctions against Iran
Guardian by Julian Borger
Western diplomats said today that they planned to pursue tough new UN sanctions against Iran this month, in the face of determined Chinese resistance.

3. China urges diplomacy instead of sanctions on Iran
Xinhua
China on Thursday called for accelerated diplomacy to resolve the Iran nuclear issue, saying sanctions cannot fundamentally end the standoff.

4. ‘Iran has received no response to its nuclear proposal so far’
Tehran Times
So far Iran has not received any response to its proposal for swapping its low-enriched uranium with 20 percent nuclear fuel in Japan, Brazil, Turkey, or on the Iranian island of Kish, MP Hossein Ebrahimi said on Wednesday.

SOUTH ASIA

RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE
5. Obama's Nuclear Arms Pledge Hits Stumbling Block
Time by Eben Harrell
When President Barack Obama pledged to move toward the abolition of nuclear weapons in April 2009, replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was supposed to be the easy first step. But the 1991 agreement, which limits the number of long-range nuclear weapons in Russia and the U.S., expired on Dec. 5. And a replacement has yet to be agreed upon.

MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL AND NONPROLIFERATION

U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS STRATEGY AND POLICY
6. Nuclear weapons review put off
Washington Times by Bill Gertz
The Pentagon has notified Congress that it is delaying a required report on the future of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal because of the "complexity" of issues being addressed.

OPINIONS
7. Think Again: Nuclear Weapons
Foreign Policy by John Mueller
Nuclear threats, and particularly the threat of nuclear terrorism is often exaggerated. Ridding the world of nuclear is not necessarily a good idea.

8. A False Nuclear Alarm
Foreign Policy by Joseph Cirincione
With its latest editorial calling for more nuclear weapons and more weapons spending, the Wall Street Journal has gone over a journalistic cliff. The serious factual errors in its Jan. 5 screed, "A False Nuclear Start," raise serious questions about the newspaper's credibility and integrity.

9. Arms And The Pragmatists
Times of India by Ramesh Thakur
After more than a decade in the doldrums, nuclear arms control could make a comeback this year with a thorough review of the size, structure and mission of US nuclear forces, a new Russia-US strategic treaty, a nuclear summit in Washington in April and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference in May. A compelling roadmap for all four has been provided by the international commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, chaired by former foreign ministers Gareth Evans of Australia and Yoriko Kawaguchi of Japan and including Brajesh Mishra from India.

10. Nuclear threat demands a sustained U.S. effort
Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Howard James Hubbard and Leon Lederman
The end of the Cold War changed the world, and 9/11 changed it again. But despite new threats to our security, we continue to rely on outdated thinking when it comes to nuclear weapons.