Nuclear Proliferation Is a Key Challenge of 2010: General Jim Jones

By John K. Warden

This morning, General Jim Jones, Obama's National Security Advisor, spoke at the CSIS Statesmen’s Forum about U.S. national security priorities in 2010.  Jones offered a general outline of the Obama administration’s foreign policy in its first year and going forward.  He joked that at the CSIS’s request, Obama deferred talking about foreign affairs in the State of the Union, so he could talk about that today.

At various points, General Jones discussed the challenges involving nuclear weapons.  Early on, he said that a terrorist group acquiring a weapon of mass destruction is the greatest danger to our collective security.

Later, Jones listed the major challenges that the United States faces in 2010.  In addition to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the threat posed by terrorism, Jones listed nuclear proliferation as a key challenge and spoke specifically about Iran and North Korea.

On proliferation, Jones said that it is ironic that while the risk of a nuclear war has decreased, the risk of a nuclear attack against a city has increased.  He reaffirmed America’s commitment to the to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s basic bargain – that nuclear weapons states will make progress toward disarmament, while non-nuclear weapons states pursue only peaceful nuclear energy, refraining from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Jones said that the United States has and will continue to make progress toward disarmament, citing a new START and the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).  Jones said that negotiations on a new START are nearing completion.  While officials have been saying this for months, Jones statement might be more meaningful since he recently went to Moscow for START talks.  In a brief mention of the NPR, Jones said that the document would reduce the role of nuclear weapons.

General Jones also discussed Iran and North Korea.  Beginning with North Korea, Jones said the United States would continue to vigorously enforce sanctions against North Korea until they lived up to their obligations.  He said the United States continues to work in the six-party talk framework and that allies are in agreement on how we should move forward.  As he put it, the American offer remains the same – if North Korea takes concrete actions to eliminate nuclear weapons, the United States will support its full integration into the global economy.

Discussing Iran, Jones called Iran’s nuclear program the top concern of governments in the Middle East and around the world; he warned that the world cannot afford a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.  As Jones put it, the United States is pursuing a two-track approach:  1) being willing to engage Iran directly; and 2) uniting the international community around a series of proposals, most prominently the offer to reprocess low enriched uranium and return it to Iran for medical use.  Jones said that diplomacy is still open, but that Iran will likely face increased pressure.

Directly responding to those who say the Administration’s Iran strategy is not paying dividends, Jones argued that current international consensus on the how to deal with Iran is unprecedented, sending a clear message to the Iranians.

Finally, Jones connected pressure over Iran’s nuclear program to Israel/Palestine peace talks.  He argued that as Iran faces increased pressure, it will likely lash out using its surrogates – Hamas and Hezbollah.  It will be more likely that these organizations attack Israel, with Iran’s backing.  As a result, it is urgent that Israel and Palestine restart negotiations.

General Jones closed by saying that Obama’s first year was a year of progress, but the year to come will be challenging.  This is certainly true for nuclear weapons.