Nukes of Hazard

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North Korea Nutshell: South Korea?s New Administration
2008-02-02 08:09:00
Nearly two months have passed since the election of South Korea ?s new President-elect Lee Myung-Bak. Although he will not officially take office until the end of February, decisions are already being made that will greatly affect both the North Korea n nuclear negotiations and the overall U.S.-ROK alliance. As a member of the conservative Grand National Party (GNP), Lee represents a stark departure from the policies of the last decade. A former Hyundai executive, Lee seeks to streamline the government into a more corporate organizational style and promote economic policies that favor... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
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Highlights of Congressional Action in 2007 on National Security
2008-02-02 00:14:00
Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program Administration Request: $118.8 million for the Department of Energy; $30 million for the Department of DefenseFinal Action : $0 for the Department of Energy; $15 million for the Department of DefenseReprocessing Nuclear Waste Administration Request: $405 millionFinal Action: $179 million (as part of Department of Energy Appropriations) Total Funding for Nonproliferation Programs (including programs funded through the Defense Department, State Department, and Department of Energy) Administration Request: 3.36 billionFinal Action: 3.683 billion ... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Security , National , National Security , Highlights

Once a Liability to Exporters, French Foreign Policy Now an Asset
2008-02-01 06:07:00
This week, France signed an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with India similar to the one made between the United States and India in 2006. Progress on the deal has been stalled by opposition from the Communist Party in India, which has threatened to withdraw from Indian Prime Minister Singh's fragile ruling coalition over the contentious issue. The Communists oppose the deal because they believe that the agreement places too many restrictions on the Indian nuclear program and because they feel that it would align India too closely with the United States, which they view as... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: French , Policy , Foreign Policy , Foreign , Asset

FCNL Updates Report on Prez Candidates
2008-01-31 17:57:00
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) released yesterday an updated version of "Eyes on the Prize," a compilation of the views of the presidential candidates on Iran, Iraq, and nukes. Compiled by Scoville Fellow Danny Hosein, the publication tracks six candidates' stances on the issues over time. Reflecting recent changes in the presidential race, the report includes Clinton and Obama for the Dems, and Huckabee, McCain, Paul, and Romney for the Republicans. The updated report includes new statements in regard to the Iran NIE, and on the confrontation between Iranian boats and... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Report , Updates , Candidates , Prez

Columbia Keeps Ball Rolling, Ratifies CTBT
2008-01-30 22:10:00
Columbia became the 144th country to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) yesterday. The country joins a growing list of recent Treaty ratifiers, including two earlier this year: Malaysia (January 17) and Barbados (January 14). Four other countries ratified the Treaty last year as well: the Bahamas (November 30), the Dominican Republic (September 4), Palau (August 1), and Moldova (January 16).The move is significant because Columbia is an Annex 2 country, whose ratification is required for the Treaty to take affect. Annex 2 countries are those that participated in the... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Columbia , Ball , Rolling

U.S. To Oppose Treaty Barring Space Weapons
2008-01-30 02:49:00
The insider publication Space News reported a couple of days ago that the U.S. plans to oppose a draft treaty that would ban placing weapons in outer space. Written by China and Russia, the treaty is set to be introduced at next month?s Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Citing China?s anti-satellite test last year, U.S. acting deputy assistant secretary of PRIVATE track: PRIVATE track: state for threat reduction, Donald Mahley, remarked that the "existence of opaque Chinese counter-space programs and activities complicates any discussion of a Chinese-Russian treaty proposal and... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Weapons

UK's Nonproliferation Plea Deceiving
2008-01-30 00:49:00
Prime Minister Gordon Brown?s recent visit to India exposed a disturbing contradiction at the heart of British nuclear nonproliferation policy. But first, some good news: In a speech to leaders of British and Indian commerce and industry on January 21, Brown took the unprecedented step of pledging that Britain would ?be at the forefront of the international campaign to accelerate disarmament amongst possessor states, to prevent proliferation to new states, and to ultimately achieve a world that is free from nuclear weapons.? And yet Brown?s stirring call for nuclear disarmament rings hollow... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]

National Security Legislative Wrap-Up
2008-01-28 23:48:00
On January 22, the Senate approved a new version of the Defense Authorization Bill, H.R. 4896. The new bill included a modification of the provision objected to by President Bush that deals with Iraqi claims for redress due to actions of Saddam Hussein. The vote was 91-3. The President will deliver his last State of the Union address on Monday night, January 28. After the Bush Administration presents its Fiscal Year 2009 budget to the Congress on February 4, the shape of the legislative battles ahead for the year will be clearer. KEY NATIONAL SECURITY BILLS REMAINING FROM 2007 ... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Security , National , National Security , Wrap

First Strike Nuclear Madness
2008-01-23 22:07:00
Plutonium Page put together a great piece over at Daily Kos today on the recent rumblings that NATO should retain the option to strike preemptively using nuclear weapons. As she aptly points out, It's really stretching the imagination try to understand how a new doctrine of pre-emptive nuclear strikes can possibly be part of the War on Terror?. The concept of nuclear deterrence can't apply if your perceived enemy doesn't have nuclear weapons. "We think they might be making them," is not the same as a nation having them, and being overtly hostile toward another nation, as was the... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Nuclear , Strike , Madness , First Strike

Congressional Schedule for DoD and DoE Bills
2008-01-23 01:17:00
Provided below is an updated schedule of Congressional action on key Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DoE) bills, as prepared by David Culp of FCNL. [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Schedule , Bills

National Security Legislative Wrap-Up
2008-01-22 21:11:00
The House of Representatives approved a new version of the Defense Authorization Bill, H.R. 4896, on January 16. The new version included a modification of the provision objected to by President Bush that deals with Iraqi claims for redress due to actions of Saddam Hussein. The vote was 369 to 46. The House decided not to try to override President Bush's veto of the bill. The Senate returns to session this week, and is expected to take up the Defense Authorization Bill some time this week. Aside from primaries and caucuses, next up: January 28 - President Bush's State of the Union... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Security , National , National Security , Wrap

Nuclear Proliferation and Prez Candidates: Deadly Silence?
2008-01-22 20:49:00
Catherine Collins (co-author of The Nuclear Jihadist: The True Story of the Man Who Sold the World's Most Dangerous Secrets ... and How We Could Have Stopped Him) published an interesting op-ed in the Chicago Tribune last week on what she perceives as a lack of attention paid to nuclear proliferation in this year's presidential debates. Though a significant portion of the January 5 Democratic Presidential Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire was dedicated to the issues of nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation, with approximately 15 minutes of a one hour debate spend on the topic, she... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Candidates , Prez , Proliferation , Silence

Resignation of Bush Administration Moderate May Signal Shift in Policy Dire
2008-01-19 02:30:00
On October 21st, 2007, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani resigned, allegedly because "he wanted to focus on 'other political activities." Larijani was a force of moderation and compromise within the Iranian foreign policy establishment, and had "faced increasing challenges from [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad," who favored a tougher approach. Given the political context of Larijani's resignation, it was widely recognized as something other than a personal decision on the part of the nuclear negotiator. The New York Times described the "resignation" as a signal "that officials here... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Bush , Bush administration , Policy , Administration , Signal

North Korea Nutshell: Missing the Point
2008-01-17 07:32:00
The Six-Party Talks remain stalled this week over the issue of whether or not North Korea has offered a ?complete declaration? of its nuclear program. The North continues to hold fast to its position that it has already revealed what it promised to the United States despite the fact the Amb. Hill has repeatedly stated that whatever he was shown in the last few months has not been up to par with what the U.S. would consider acceptable. But while the negotiators continue to haggle over aluminum tubes, an important opportunity is being wasted. Little over a week ago, North Korea referred to... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Missing , Point

Campaign for Responsibility in Nuclear Trade Launched to Oppose U.S.-India
2008-01-16 17:59:00
A diverse coalition of 23 organizations yesterday launched a campaign to stop the Bush administration?s proposed U.S.-India nuclear deal. The deal would allow the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology and material to India, but fails to hold the country to the same responsible nonproliferation and disarmament rules that are required of advanced nuclear states. Comprised of arms control experts, environmental activists, consumer advocates, religious groups and doctors, the Campaign for Responsibility in Nuclear Trade contends the deal would: dangerously weaken nonproliferation efforts and... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Launched

Barbados Signs and Ratifies CTBT
2008-01-16 06:29:00
Hats off to Barbados , which both signed and ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) on Monday. The country joins a slew of recent ratifications, including four last year: the Bahamas (November 30), the Dominican Republic (September 4), Palau (August 1), and Moldova (January 16). Before Barbados, the last country to sign the CTBT was Montenegro on October 23, 2006. Can Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, or Trinidad and Tobago be far behind? The addition of Barbados brings the number of Treaty signatories to 178 and Treaty ratifiers to 142. In order for the CTBT to... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Signs

New Report: $20 Billion U.S. Arms Deal to Contain Iran No Substitute for Di
2008-01-15 23:37:00
The Center?s Travis Sharp and Katie Mounts today released a tremendous report which examines the Bush administration?s decision to sell $20 billion in advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia and other GCC states as an effort largely designed to contain Iran . They argue that the sale is another example of how the U.S. continues to use deadly technologies as the flawed currency of friendship with foreign nations. Click here to read the online version of the report, here to read the PDF version with footnotes, or here for the press release. The executive summary of the report follows: In July... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Report , Deal , Arms , Billion

National Security Legislative Wrap-up
2008-01-14 22:34:00
The House of Representatives returns from recess on January 15; the Senate will resume work next week. One of the first orders of business is the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization conference agreement. President Bush vetoed the bill because of an obscure provision on Iraq. The House is expected to try to override that veto this week. Aside from primaries and caucuses, next up: January 28 - President Bush's State of the Union address February 4 - Presentation of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget to Congress MOST RECENT ACTION As Congress left town in December, it approved $70... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Security , National , National Security , Wrap

Nuclear Terrorism and the 2008 Democratic Candidates
2008-01-13 22:47:00
Plutonium Page over at Daily Kos put together an interesting piece on nuclear terrorism and the three leading Democratic presidential candidates. She begins by looking at the definition of terrorism and some of its various forms, including nuclear terrorism, before delving into the candidates? proposals. (And it doesn?t hurt that she references the Center, Nukes of Hazard, and yours truly a few times ? thanks Page!) Click here to read the full piece. [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Terrorism , Nuclear , Democratic Candidates , Candidates

Nuclear Power in the UK: Still the Wrong Way to Reduce Carbon Emissions
2008-01-11 06:08:00
In the latest stage of the so-called "nuclear renaissance," the British government today approved the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants. This move reverses the previous UK policy on nuclear power, which (as stated in 2003) was that "its current economics make it an unattractive option for new, carbon-free generating capacity." The decision to build new nuclear power plants has been met with ardent opposition from the British environmentalist movement, but UK Business Secretary John Hutton defended the new policy as a response to global warming: "Set against the... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Power , Nuclear , Emissions , Carbon , Reduce

ACA Announces "2007 Arms Control Person of the Year"
2008-01-09 18:20:00
The Arms Control Association just announced that Reps. Peter Visclosky and David Hobson were voted "Arms Control Person of the Year " for 2007. U.S. Congressmen Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), chair of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, and David Hobson (R-Ohio), ranking Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, were key actors in eliminating funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead - the new generation of nuclear weapons proposed by the Bush administration - in the 2008 budget. ACA announced that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]

Peter Galbraith: US needs to get tough with Pakistan
2008-01-09 08:08:00
Senior Diplomatic Fellow at the Center, Peter Galbraith , recently wrote an interesting op-ed in the Boston Globe, arguing that Pakistan ?should be treated like the national security problem it has become.? He suggests that the U.S. should insist that Pakistan?s elected leaders have total control over all of the country?s national security programs, make clear that the U.S. does not believe A.Q. Khan acted alone, insist that Khan and his records are made available to the IAEA, and sponsor a Security Council resolution appointing a UN investigator to look into the assassination of Benazir... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Tough , Peter Galbraith

North Korea Nutshell: The Return of the Light Water Reactors
2008-01-08 20:56:00
The North Korea n nuclear negotiations are heading towards a pretty important impasse. North Korea claims that it has met its end of the October 3rd deal by making serious progress in disablement and presenting some sort of declaration of its nuclear program to the United States.Amb. Chris Hill made it pretty clear, especially with the personal letter from President Bush, that the North Koreans still had not entirely fulfilled their end of the bargain and that a more complete declaration would need to be submitted to China (the chair of the 6-Party Talks) before moving forward. The U.S. and... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Water , Light

The Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan
2008-01-08 07:37:00
Though perhaps not directly tied to nuclear weapons and nonproliferation issues, the Center's online extraordinaire Ashley Hoffman recently put out an excellent (though disturbing) video that presents the costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in U.S. taxpayers' dollars, U.S. lives, and the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians. Check it out below. [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Cost , War in Iraq

Nukes Get Significant Talk-Time at NH Debates
2008-01-07 16:59:00
Thank you to ABC's Charlie Gibson for bringing the issues of nuclear terrorism and general nuclear proliferation to the weekend's Democratic presidential debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Not only were the issues discussed, but they were discussed at length - approximately fifteen minutes of the one hour debate were dedicated to those of nuclear proliferation. Major highlights here, with a link to the full transcript below: CHARLES GIBSON: So let me start with what is generally agreed to be, I think, the greatest threat to the United States today and somewhat to my surprise... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Debates , Time , Talk , Nukes , Talk Time

Peter Galbraith Videos Discussing Iran
2008-01-07 06:09:00
The Center?s Senior Diplomatic Fellow, Peter Galbraith , recently spoke at a briefing session on U.S. policy toward Iran , hosted by the World Policy Institute. Below are the videos of Galbraith?s portion of the briefing. [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Videos , Peter Galbraith

John Isaacs: Congress and National Security in 2007
2008-01-05 08:45:00
The Center?s Executive Director, John Isaacs, recently penned an excellent wrap-up of Congress ional action on national security issues in 2007, including nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, non-nuclear strategic weapons, missile defense, North Korea, and Iran. He argues that despite Congress? failure to end the Iraq War, it was successful in a number of other areas, especially nuclear weapons. The full article is provided below. On December 18, as Congress was about to head out of town, the Senate took three last votes on the war in Iraq. The outcome of the votes replicated a... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Security , National , National Security

IAEA?s 2007 Year in Review
2007-12-29 18:18:00
Oh what a year. The IAEA recently put out an interesting ?2007 Year in Review ? that includes nuclear-related events and developments involving global security, environmental, and economic issues. Highlighted below are those most directly connected to nuclear weapons and nonproliferation issues. January Authorities in the Republic of Georgia report the seizure of illicit nuclear material during a past "sting operation" of nearly 80 grams of high-enriched uranium.At the World Economic Forum, IAEA Director General ElBaradei calls for a "timeout" regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, urging... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
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Joe Cirincione: A Nuclear-Armed Pakistan Teeters on the Edge
2007-12-28 22:10:00
With all of the commentary and analysis on Bhutto?s assassination, surprisingly little has focused on Pakistan ?s nuclear weapons. And so comes one of the few pieces on the topic from Joe Cirincione on yesterday?s Huffington Post: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the intensification of the political crisis in Pakistan at the end of the year brings into sharp relief our most immediate nuclear threat. It comes not from Iraq or Iran, but Pakistan. With an unstable military ruler, enough material for 50 to 100 nuclear bombs, strong Islamic fundamentalist influences in the country and... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Nuclear , The Edge , Edge , Armed

Nuclear Deck the Halls
2007-12-25 07:31:00
With the holidays amongst us, it's important to remember the true spirit of Christmas: potential nuclear destruction. And so comes this song from The Bomblets, a new performance group in New Hampshire. (The best part of the photo? No, not the John "Bomb, Bomb Iran" McCain poster in the background, but the AC-DC t-shirt the bomblet on the left is wearing.) Happy holidays to everyone! Nuclear Deck the Halls Nuclear proliferation, Falalalala lalalala Threatens future generations, Falalalala lalalala We don?t need no more construction, Falala lalala lalala Weapons made for mass destruction... [This is a content summary only. Click on the above link for the full post.]
More About: Humor , Deck The Halls