Managing The Sino-American Dispute Over Missile Defense
Tong Zhao | War on the Rocks
Despite the opacity and secrecy over China’s nuclear weapons, a public debate has broken out in China about the country’s nuclear arsenal. Hu Xijin, the chief editor of Global Times — reportedly China’s highest-circulation newspaper — made repeated calls for China to quickly and massively build up its nuclear forces. Supporters of nuclear expansion believe that a larger Chinese nuclear arsenal is the key to prevent a war with Washington and “nothing else could work.” The overt nature of the debate is unprecedented and shifts public opinion toward greater enthusiasm for a more robust nuclear posture.
Russia Warns It Will See Any Incoming Missile As Nuclear
Vladimir Isachenkov| Associated Press
Russia will perceive any ballistic missile launched at its territory as a nuclear attack that warrants a nuclear retaliation, the military warned in an article published Friday. The harsh warning in the official military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) is directed at the United States, which has worked to develop long-range non-nuclear weapons. The article follows the publication in June of Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy that envisages the use of atomic weapons in response to what could be a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.
Iran Nuclear Deal At Risk As U.N. Council Prepares To Vote On Arms Embargo
Michelle Nichols| Reuters
The U.N. Security Council is preparing to vote this week on a U.S. proposal to extend an arms embargo on Iran, a move that some diplomats say is bound to fail and put the fate of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers further at risk. A last-minute attempt by Britain, France and Germany to broker a compromise with Russia and China on an arms embargo extension appeared unsuccessful so far, diplomats said. Russia and China, allies of Iran, have long-signaled opposition to the U.S. measure.
It Is Not Right Timing For China To Join U.S.-Russia Arms Control Talks: Chinese Ambassador
Xinhua Net
China's nuclear power is not at the same level as that of the United States and Russia, and it is not yet the right timing for China to join their nuclear disarmament talks, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said. "All over the world, the United States and Russia have the largest nuclear arsenal ... this is international consensus. So they should take the lead in international nuclear disarmament," said Cui in an online interview with Nicholas Burns, executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group, and Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent of NBC News, while attending the 2020 Aspen Security Forum on Aug. 4.
43 Countries And Regions Ratify U.N. Nuclear Ban Treaty
Kyodo News
Three countries completed ratification procedures for a U.N.-adopted nuclear ban treaty Thursday, bringing the number of such countries and regions to 43 with a total of 50 required for the pact to enter into force, a U.N. source said. Ireland, Nigeria and Niue became the latest signatories of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted in 2017, on the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Nuclear Decision-Making in Iran: Implications for U.S. Nonproliferation Efforts
Ariane Tabatabai | Columbia University
Assessments of foreign policy tend to fall into one of two major camps: either they ascribe to a state’s actions all of the characteristics of a unitary actor, in which there is a decision made and executed as designed; or they fixate on the minutiae of the internal politics and deal making that went into the decision, underscoring the complexity of decision-making but often losing the thread of what results. This is particularly pernicious when involving the actions of a state with opaque decision-making and where attribution of responsibility is often itself the subject of intense internal political debate and controversy, as is the case with Iran.