Extending New START Should Be Just the Beginning
Megan DuBois, Gaurav Kalwani, and Pranay Vaddi | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
On January 21, news broke that U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration will seek a five-year extension of the treaty, something Russia seems ready to agree to. It is unlikely there will be any conditions attached—both parties are eager to secure an agreement. Senior U.S. officials seem keen on extending New START, while also moving quickly to address harmful actions Russia has taken against the United States in the past several years, such as the SolarWinds cyber attack. The Biden administration is taking a pragmatic view on New START—extending the treaty is in U.S. national security interests, but this does not preclude steps the administration may take to punish Russia for its misbehavior.
Russia, U.S. Exchange Documents to Extend Nuclear Pact
Vladmir Isachenkov | AP
Russia and the United States traded documents Tuesday to extend their last remaining nuclear arms control treaty days before it is due to expire, the Kremlin said. A Kremlin readout of a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two leaders voiced satisfaction with the exchange of diplomatic notes about extending the New START treaty. “In the nearest days, the parties will complete the necessary procedures that will ensure further functioning of this important international legal nuclear arms control tool,” the Kremlin said. Immediately after the call, Putin submitted a draft bill on the treaty’s extension to the Russian parliament.
UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty in Effect
Edith M. Lederer | Canberra Times
The first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons has entered into force, hailed as a historic step to rid the world of its deadliest weapons but strongly opposed by the world's nuclear-armed nations. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is now part of international law, culminating a decades-long campaign aimed at preventing a repetition of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. But getting all nations to ratify the treaty requiring them to never own such weapons seems daunting, if not impossible, in the current global climate.
Iran Will Take Steps Next Month to Curb Short-Notice IAEA Inspections: Official
Reuters
Iran threatened on Tuesday to block short-notice inspections of its nuclear facilities, demanding Washington reverse economic sanctions before it returns to compliance with a nuclear deal that President Joe Biden aims to restore. Biden, who took office last week, aims to reverse a decision by his predecessor Donald Trump to pull out of the 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers. The agreement lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs to Iran’s nuclear programme, but after Trump quit and reimposed sanctions, Iran violated its conditions. Biden says Tehran should return to compliance before sanctions are lifted; Iran wants the sanctions lifted first.
North Korea Dangerous but not Unpredictable, says U.S. Intelligence Official
David Volodzko | NK News
North Korea is not the unpredictable mystery many consider it to be — but it is more dangerous than some assume, especially some in South Korea, U.S. intelligence official Sydney Seiler said Friday. Seiler, who has over 37 years of experience related to Korean affairs, is the national intelligence officer for North Korea at the National Intelligence Council. Before that, he was a senior analyst at the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), the U.S. special envoy for the Six-Party Talks and the director for Korea on the National Security Council (NSC). “What I find with North Korea is strategic continuity, marked by tactical surprise,” Seiler said during an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).