Lessons From the Cold War on Preventing a U.S.-China Arms Race
Rose Gottemoeller | POLITICO
After months of watching hundreds of new nuclear missile silos being dug in the dirt northwest of Beijing, it is welcome news that President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping seemingly agreed at last week’s summit on the need for strategic stability talks. Strategic stability—the idea that nuclear-armed countries should not be able to gain decisive advantage over one another—has taken on new importance as China expands and modernizes its nuclear arsenal.
Iran Preparing to Enrich Weapons-Grade Uranium, Israel Warns U.S.
Barak Ravid | Axios
Israel has shared intelligence over the past two weeks with the U.S. and several European allies suggesting that Iran is taking technical steps to prepare to enrich uranium to 90% purity—the level needed to produce a nuclear weapon, two U.S. sources briefed on the issue tell me. Why it matters: Enriching to 90% would bring Iran closer than ever to the nuclear threshold. The Israeli warnings come as nuclear talks resume in Vienna, with Iran returning to the negotiating table on Monday after a five-month hiatus.
Iran Nuclear Talks to Restart as US Emphasizes It’s ‘Prepared to Use Other Options’ if Diplomacy Fails
Nicole Gaouette, Kylie Atwood, and Jennifer Hansler | CNN
The US and its allies restart Iran nuclear talks on Monday unsure how Tehran’s new government will approach negotiations, not optimistic about the prospects ahead and emphasizing that if diplomacy fails, the US is “prepared to use other options.” The parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will reconvene in Vienna after almost six months to discuss a mutual return to the deal by both the US and Iran, but the hiatus has given time for new obstacles to take root.
Incoming German Government Commits to NATO Nuclear Deterrent
Sebastian Sprenger | Defense News
Germany’s incoming government has affirmed its commitment to NATO’s nuclear deterrent, including the role accorded to Berlin in the strategy, according to a coalition agreement unveiled Nov. 24 by Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). The much-anticipated pact offers a flavor of what the new government, to be led by the SPD’s Olaf Scholz, finance minister in the outgoing government, aims to do in the fields of defense and foreign policy.
South Korea Longs for Trump’s Focus as Efforts to Engage Pyongyang Stall
Christian Davies | Financial Times
Joe Biden’s lack of ambition in finding a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea has left some South Koreans missing the flamboyant summitry of Donald Trump. The Biden administration has adopted a “calibrated, practical approach” to North Korea, maintaining that it was willing to engage diplomatically without preconditions once Pyongyang was ready to do so. But observers in Seoul and Washington say an unwillingness to spell out proposals and a lack of engagement at the highest levels indicate a desire to manage rather than solve the North Korea issue, even as Kim Jong Un enhances his missile and nuclear programmes.
Taiwan’s Friends Aid Stealthy Submarine Project as China Threat Rises
Mari Saito, Yimou Lee, Ju-min Park, Tim Kelly, Andrew Macaskill, Sarah Wu, and David Lague | Reuters
For more than two decades, Taiwan tried to buy a fleet of modern conventional submarines to fend off an existential threat—invasion by China. There were no takers. The United States, Taiwan’s main ally, has a nuclear-powered fleet and hadn’t built diesel-powered subs in decades. Other nations balked, fearful of angering Beijing. Now, as China under President Xi Jinping steps up its military intimidation of Taiwan, an array of foreign submarine-technology vendors, with the approval of their governments, are aiding a secretive program to build subs in Taiwan.