• Nov 20, 2009

    This CSIS just released the final product of its U.S.-U.K.-France Trilateral Dialogues on Nuclear Issues.  The final statement comes from a group of high-level "Track 2" participants who were assembled to discuss nuclear issues and identify areas of consensus between the three countries.  The CSIS, led by CEO and President John Hamre, Senior Adviser Clark Murdock, and Non-Resident Senior Adviser Franklin Miller and with support from Fellow Jenifer Mackby and Research Assistant Chris Jones, hosted three meetings to develop and sharpen the statement. 

    The final statement, entitled "Trilateral Nuclear Dialogues: Toward a Common P3 Approach on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Energy Use, Disarmament and Material Security," focuses on the shared assumptions and objectives, common policy agenda, and specific initiatives and tactics that the three countries should focus upon over the next few years including at the May 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

    In addition to outlining a number of specific initiatives the three countries should support, one of the key takeaways from the statement is the importance of priorities. The four main priorities identified are: 1) Strengthening the non-proliferation regime; 2) Pursuing disarmament; 3) Providing for the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and 4) Rapidly secure global nuclear inventories.  And, according to the statement, focusing on these priorities will be critical to success:

  • Nov 20, 2009

    FISSILE MATERIAL
    ElBaradei urges Iran to agree fuel deal by year end
    Reuters by Dave Graham

    Outlook for tough Iran sanctions is dim
    AP by Robert Burns

    IAEA inspectors revisit disputed Iran nuclear site
    Reuters by Mark Heinrich

    Panel Sees No Need for A-Bomb Upgrade
    NYT by William J. Broad

  • Nov 19, 2009

    Earlier this week Carnegie hosted an event earlier this week as part of the roll-out for Deepti Choubey's new report Restoring the NPT: Essential Steps for 2010.  At the event, Carnegie’s George Perkovich moderated a discussion between Choubey and Egypt’s Ambassador to the United States, Sameh Shoukry that covered the report and the prospects for success at the 2010 RevCon.

    While emphasizing the importance of next year's meeting, Choubey worried that the expectations might be too high.  President Obama's talk of disarmament and a world without nuclear weapons has raised the bar.  However, realistically the U.S. will have little tangible gains in disarmament by next May.

    The U.S. and Russia will likely agree to modest reductions in a new START treaty that will hopefully be ratified, but there is almost no chance that the U.S. will have ratified the CTBT by that time.  During the discussion at the event, Choubey said START wouldn't be enough.  She explained:

  • Nov 19, 2009

    FISSILE MATERIAL
    North Korea Arms Trade Funds Nuclear-Bomb Work, UN Panel Says
    Bloomberg by Bill Varner

    Minister Says Iran Won’t Ship Uranium Abroad
    NYT by Michael Slackman

    Iran Imperils Western Nuclear Deal
    WSJ by Chip Cummins and Jay Solomon

    The Conventional Arms Control Challenge
    Foreign Policy in Focus by Frida Berrigan

  • Nov 18, 2009

    FISSILE MATERIAL

    North Korea's nuclear plans cloud Obama in Seoul
    WP by Jon Herskovitz and Patricia Zengerle

    Iran rejects sending uranium abroad, considers swaps
    Reuters

    Secrecy shrouds Iran's contingency centers
    Asia Times by Gareth Porter

    Why China Isn't Willing to Get Too Tough on Iran
    Time by Bill Powell

  • Nov 17, 2009

    There’s been an exchange over the past few days between us and NOH about an op-ed published on CTBT ratification (the original article, the initial response, th

  • Nov 17, 2009

    FISSILE MATERIAL
    Inspectors Fear Iran Is Hiding Nuclear Plants
    NYT by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad

    Iran wants nuclear fuel swap to take place on its own soil
    The Hindu by Siddharth Varadarajan

    IAEA deepens Syria atom probe over uranium traces
    The Star by Reuters

    New Russian-U.S. arms reduction treaty hampered by differences
    RIA Novosti by Ilya Kramnik

  • Nov 16, 2009

    Courtesy of ISIS, the IAEA today released new safeguards reports on Syria and the Iranian nuclear program.

    On the Qom facility, now known as the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), Iran explained to the IAEA that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran had been allocated the site in the latter half of 2007 and that “that was when the construction of the FFEP had started.” Iran reiterated that explanation in an October 28 letter:

    “As a result of the augmentation of the threats of military attacks against Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to establish contingency centers for various organizations and activities . . .  

  • Nov 16, 2009

    There has been quite a news deluge out of the nuclear world lately, which, while beneficial for blogs dedicated to the analysis of things-nuclear, is certainly rather problematic for the United States and the nonproliferation world. Although the stories concerning North Korea and Iran appear to be running on repeat, with little apparent progress in either direction, the nonproliferation regime as a whole seems to be inching ever closer to the brink. This, of course, is not an attempt to write the post-to-end-all-posts, but the nuclear developments (or lack thereof) during these latter months of 2009 are troublesome and merit consideration as part of the bigger picture – that is, examining the larger spectrum of nuclear issues and not just the isolated ones.

  • Nov 16, 2009

    FISSILE MATERIAL
    Obama presses Iran on atomic deal, Tehran defiant
    Reuters by Caren Bohan and Oleg Shchedrov

    Nuclear watchdog chief to issue new report on Iran program
    RIA Novosti

    US, Russia see deal on missile cuts by year-end
    AFP by Stuart Williams

    Alliance and North Korea
    Korea Times by Tong Kim

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