Digests and Blog

EU's High Representative Catherine Ashton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.By Peter Crail An April 27 Los Angeles Times story reports that "U.S. officials said they might agree to let Iran continue enriching uranium up to 5% purity, which is the upper end of the range for most civilian uses, if its government agrees to the unrestricted inspections, strict oversight and numerous safeguards that the United Nations has long demanded." The story says that the prospect for such an arrangement "would be a significant concession" on the part of the United States and "a shift in the U.S.…

By Tom Z. Collina As the House Armed Services Committee marks up its version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill, some strange proposals are emerging. Perhaps the oddest, from Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the strategic forces subcommittee, is to build another ground-based missile defense (GMD) site on the east coast by 2015. But wait. The United States already has two GMD sites on the west coast, with 30 interceptors deployed in California and Alaska, to handle an attack from North Korea. And the Obama administration is building another interceptor system in Europe, known…

By Daryl G. KimballTrident D-5 missile fails to perform in flight test.Sometimes former national security heavyweights still have some insights on nuclear weapons policy--sometimes they don't. In an oped in The Washington Post today, Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and General Brent Scowcroft make the incorrect presumption that the Barack Obama administration's ongoing review of nuclear force requirements and planning for the next round of nuclear reductions is based on "an abstract preconceived determination" for nuclear weapons policy. The two former national security officials…

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in IstanbulBy Michael Brzoska, Oliver Meier, and Götz Neuneck In a climate of escalation, the outline of a lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict over Iran's nuclear activities can be sketched with a good degree of clarity and certainty. Seven necessary elements of a compromise package can be condensed from the many political debates and expert discussions about Iran's nuclear program. All of these should be acceptable to the United States, the EU and Iran. However, as is often the case in such…

By Peter Crail and Daryl G. KimballNorth Korea's Unha-3 missile is readied for launch.Today, the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) followed through with their plan to conduct a long-range ballistic missile test, which failed, according to early assessments. The DPRK claimed the missile launch was intended to put a satellite in space, but many of the technologies used for that purpose also help North Korea further develop a long-range missile capability, which is was probably the DPRK's real aim. Though it was apparently unsuccessful, the missile launch is a clear…

Sunrise behind the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey (Image Source: Getty)By Daryl G. Kimball and Greg Thielmann After a 15-month hiatus, the P5+1 and Iran will finally meet again to discuss Tehran's nuclear program on Saturday, April 14 in Istanbul. Iran's diplomatic encounter with the six powers – China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the United States – will occur at a time of dramatically increased economic pressure on Iran from sanctions and against the backdrop of loose talk about counterproductive military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites. Both sides need to make the most of…

President Barack Obama (2nd R) speaks during the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March 27, 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. World leaders from 53 nations gathered to address the issues of nuclear security and preventing nuclear terrorism. (Image Source: Yonhap News)By Benjamin Kagel and Kelsey Davenport A panel of four foreign policy experts weighed in on missed opportunities from the recent nuclear security summit, held March 26-27 in Seoul, South Korea. Speaking at the National Press Club last Friday, the panel discussed global nuclear security and ways to prevent nuclear terrorism. Robert…

Dr. Colin Kahl, Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program and Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations at a similar debate held at the Mortara Center for International Studies in March.By Ari Kattan Colin Kahl and Matthew Kroenig engaged in another debate last week in their ongoing back-and-forth over the timing and utility of a potential preventive attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The now-famous debate between these…

Today, the U.S. National Academies of Science released its long-awaited update on technical issues related to the CTBT in Washington. The independent panel of senior scientific and military experts was charged with reviewing technical changes related to the U.S. nuclear stockpile and to nuclear explosion test monitoring that have occurred in the ten years since the NAS’ 2002 report on the subject. The study was requested by the Barack Obama administration in 2009 following the President’s call for “immediately” pursuing reconsideration and ratification of the treaty. Although the report…

President Obama greets attendes after delivering remarks during a visit to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on March 26, 2012. (Image Source: LA Times)By Daryl G. Kimball On Monday President Barack Obama delivered a major address on his nuclear security agenda at Hankuk University in Seoul as he and other leaders gather for the second international Nuclear Security Summit. The bulk of his remarks focused on the progress made to secure nuclear weapons usable materials, but he also provided a status report on his broader nuclear risk reduction agenda three years after his stirring…