Inhofe Sets Collision Course with Dems on Defense Budget, Nukes and Transgender Troops
Joe Gould | Defense News
Sen. Jim Inhofe, the staunch Republican Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, and Rep. Adam Smith, the Washington Democrat and likely next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are on a collision course for 2019. Inhofe on Tuesday released an outline of priorities for the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, signaling plans to aggressively negotiate over the first defense policy bill from a divided Congress since 2014. In an interview Tuesday, Inhofe, R-Okla., outlined positions at odds with Smith to defend the size of the defense budget, to defend the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops and to modernize America’s nuclear arsenal.
North Korea Accuses Washington of Weaponizing Human Rights as Nuclear Talks Stall
Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
North Korea has lashed out at the United States for continuing to press it to improve its human rights record, even with animosities between the two countries having eased so much that President Trump said he and the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, were “in love.” North Korean diplomats and the state news media have unleashed blistering attacks on Washington since the United Nations’ human rights committee adopted a resolution this month condemning North Korea’s “longstanding and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights.” The resolution, similar versions of which have been adopted each year since 2005, is certain to be approved by the 193-member United Nations General Assembly next month.
Taiwan Learns to Love Nuclear, a Little
David Fickling and Tim Culpan | Bloomberg
Just as the sun seems to be setting on nuclear power in rich countries, Taiwan’s voters have delivered it a new lease on life. A plebiscite on whether to repeal a law requiring the country’s four operating reactors to switch off by 2025 passed with 59.5 percent of the vote in the country’s local elections Saturday. As a result the government will drop plans to implement the target.
U.S. Plans to Leave Russian Nuclear Deal, but is Still Consulting Allies, Official Says
Courtney McBride | Wall Street Journal
The U.S. remains on a path to withdraw from a landmark nuclear-arms-control agreement with Russia, citing alleged violations by Moscow, but continues to consult with its allies on the decision, the Trump administration’s top intelligence official said. “We are still pursuing this issue,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told reporters on Tuesday.
Kartarpur Opening is a Step Towards Peace
Tariq Osman Hyder | Gulf News
Pakistan’s decision to open and construct a direct corridor from the Indian border to the Kartarpur Sahib Sikh shrine in Pakistan is a significant event. How did it come about? What is its religious significance? What can it lead to in the often tense relations between these two nuclear armed nations? The Gurudwara was built to commemorate the site where Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, settled after his missionary work. He assembled a Sikh community there, and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539. It is 4km from and within sight of the border; and the Sikh community has long demanded that they be able to walk to this major shrine directly from Dera Baba Nanak in India rather than through the Wagah border crossing.
Why Insisting on a North Korean Nuclear Declaration Up Front is a Big Mistake
Siegfried Hecker | 38 North
My reply to the frequently asked question if Kim Jong Un will ever give up North Korea’s nuclear weapons is, “I don’t know, and most likely he doesn’t know either. But it is time to find out.” However, insisting that Kim Jong Un give a full declaration of his nuclear program up front will not work. It will breed more suspicion instead of building the trust necessary for the North to denuclearize, a process that will extend beyond the 2020 US presidential election.