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FISSILE MATERIAL
Lowering the alert levels in U.S. and Russia
WP by Walter Pincus

U.S. Seeks to Keep Watching Russia’s Weapons
NYT by Thom Shanker and Peter Baker

Why a Month Matters
Foreign Policy by Nima Gerami and James M. Acton

Nuclear talks delayed as Iran objects to France
AFP by Simon Morgan

NOH picked up on Friday’s post questioning Joe Cirincione’s use of the statements of the mayors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki as providing strong evidence to answer the title question “Will Japan Go Nuclear?” to quip

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Sunday called on the United States to make a pledge not to use nuclear weapons first. Okada is not from Hiroshima or Nagasaki, so is it okay to listen to what he says, PONI?

Another uninteresting PONI potshot that doesn’t answer the original post aside, one should look at what Okada was actually quoted as saying when speaking in Kyoto: 
 

We cannot deny the fact that we are moving in the direction of no first use of nuclear weapons. We would like to discuss the issue with Washington [emphasis mine]

According to a recent post by Hans Kristensen on the FAS Strategic Security Blog, the Obama administration is seeking to delay action at the U.N. on de-alerting nuclear forces:

The Obama administration has asked four countries to postpone a resolution at the United Nations calling for reducing the alert-level of nuclear weapons.
The intervention apparently is intended to avoid the Obama administration having to vote against the resolution before the important Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010 — on an issue Barack Obama promised to support when he ran for president.
The resolution, which was last adopted by the U.N. General Assembly with overwhelming support on December 2, 2008, calls for “further practical steps to be taken to decrease the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, with a view to ensuring that all nuclear weapons are removed from high alert status.”

To some, the request might appear surprising.  Obama has been a staunch advocate of nuclear disarmament and a reduced role for nuclear weapons.  And, as Kristensen notes, de-alerting of U.S. nuclear forces was one of Obama’s campaign promises.  So, why would he delay action on something that he previously supported?  There are two possible explanations.  Either the White House changed its mind, or it decided to focus on other issues.

Not to beat the dead horse that is quickly becoming the Iran sanctions rhetoric, but, a follow-up to the post I made on this subject a few weeks ago seems appropriate given the developments of last week. Clearly, the proper place to begin here is with the recent quote by Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov that "threats, sanctions and threats of pressure in the current situation, we are convinced, would be counterproductive." This not only comes after Russian president Dmitri Medvedev previously stated that sanctions are sometimes inevitable, but also flies in the face of the Obama administration's attempts to present Iran with an international front united against its nuclear program. More important than the implications of this for Obama's credibility though

FISSILE MATERIAL
Iran says will enrich uranium if no deal in Vienna
Reuters by Parisa Hafezi

Russia Worries About the Price of Oil, Not a Nuclear Iran
WSJ by Garry Kasparov

Japan to pressure U.S. over no pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons
Mainichi Daily News

Conferees Approve Study of Nuclear Bomb
WP by Walter Pincus

Joe Cirincione had a piece in the Huffington Post recently titled “Will Japan Go Nuclear?” As I’ve argued previously, the idea that if we go to 1,499 deployed strategic warheads or consider getting rid of

FISSILE MATERIAL
Iranian go-slow dims deal chances at Vienna atom talks
Reuters by Mark Heinrich

U.S. Considers a New Assessment of Iran Threat
WSJ by Siobhan Gorman and Jay Solomon

Obama loosens missile technology controls to China
Washington Times by Bill Gertz

Beijing Is Violating North Korean Sanctions
WSJ by Gordon G. Chang

CSIS is happy to announce what we'll deem the "beta" version of our "Comprehensive Framework" project.  The full project page is located here (also check the handy brochure made he