Strategic Stability in the 21st Century
Ulrich Kühn | Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
The concept of strategic stability has come under immense pressure in recent years. It is not only conceptually fuzzy but nuclear multipolarity, novel technologies, an exacerbating crisis in arms control, and a growing acceptance of “softer” norms are all taking a toll. At the same time, nuclear weapon states are concerned with possible instability to a degree not seen since the most severe crises of the Cold War. This special issue seeks to clarify some of the profound challenges to strategic stability while also offering novel scholarly as well as policy-relevant approaches to better understanding and mitigating the risks of instability.
Xi Jinping Warned Vladimir Putin Against Nuclear Attack in Ukraine
Max Seddon, James Kynge, John Paul Rathbone, and Felicia Schwartz | Financial Times
Xi Jinping personally warned Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, indicating Beijing harbours concerns about Russia’s war even as it offers tacit backing to Moscow, according to western and Chinese officials. The face-to-face message was delivered during the Chinese president’s state visit to Moscow in March, the people added, one of Xi’s first trips outside China after years of isolation under his zero-Covid policy.
What we Know About the Situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Nadine El-Bawab | ABC News
Ukrainian officials have heightened warnings in recent days that Russia plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant -- the largest nuclear plant in Europe…Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Telegram Tuesday that Ukrainian intelligence has information that Russian troops "have placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant."
Wagner Rebellion Raises Doubts about Stability of Russia’s Nuclear Arsenal
Robyn Dixon | The Washington Post
In recent weeks the drumbeat has intensified, with some well-connected Russian strategic analysts and think tank experts openly proclaiming the “necessity” for Moscow to carry out a preemptive tactical nuclear strike on a NATO country, like Poland — to avoid defeat in the war on Ukraine and to revive Western terror of Russia’s nuclear might.
Inaugural Session of S. Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group Likely to be Held in Seoul this Month
The Korea Times
South Korea and the United States are likely to hold the inaugural session of the newly established Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Seoul later this month, officials said Wednesday."Working-level talks on the schedule for the first meeting proceeded quite smoothly," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. "We've reached the point where we'll be able to make an announcement soon." The meeting will likely be led by Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo and U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell. The two sides initially planned to appoint deputy minister-level officials to lead the talks but later decided to elevate the rank of the chief delegate to the vice minister level for the first session.
UN Nuclear Agency Chief Says he’s Satisfied with Japan’s Plans to Release Fukushima Wastewater
MARI YAMAGUCHI | Associated Press
The head of the U.N. atomic agency toured Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Wednesday and said he is satisfied with still-contentious plans to release treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi observed where the treated water will be sent through a pipeline to a coastal facility, where it will be highly diluted with seawater and receive a final test sampling.