In recent weeks, Pyongyang has begun yet another charm offensive by reaching out to Beijing, Washington, and Tokyo. The diplomatic initiative follows the anointing of the more dynamic and charismatic Kim Jong-un as leader, leading pundits to perceive subtle new signs of impending North Korean economic reform and a less …
The Global Zero Nuclear Policy Commission Report, endorsed by retired Marine Corps General James Cartwright, is calling for dramatic reductions in the number of U.S. nuclear weapons. Since its publication in May, it has stirred discussions about perceptions of today’s strategic environment and competing visions regarding U.S. strategic posture. Mark …
After more than three years of downplaying the military option, the Obama Administration has shifted gears and become more hawkish on the Iran nuclear issue in recent weeks. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, in Israel on a Middle East tour, on Wednesday called for international leaders to keep “maximum pressure” …
Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force General Robert Kehler, described the U.S. nuclear deterrent as being “in really bad shape.” Years of neglect and lack of funding after the Cold War have weakened the nuclear infrastructure, …
Iran once again has refuted optimistic predictions that meaningful progress would be made on the core issues at stake in the on-again, off-again nuclear negotiations. In two days of talks in Baghdad, Tehran rejected the Western proposal for resolving the nuclear impasse and agreed only to continue the talks in …
Iran is resorting to its usual negotiating tactics on the nuclear issue: Slip away from its commitments under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and slide by international efforts to halt its nuclear weapons program. Yesterday, Iranian negotiators ended two days of talks with officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), …
In April, the Independent Working Group (IWG) on Missile Defense and the Space Relationship held an event on the new triad—space, nuclear weapons, and ballistic missile defense—and its importance for the United States. It explored the fundamental importance and the relationship among the different elements of defense. The United States …
Former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implored U.S. negotiators to leave the option of a military strike on the table when they meet with Iranian officials in Istanbul this weekend to attempt to convince Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. The negotiations will involve the United States, …
