The Case for Caution on Crimea
James Acton | War on the Rocks
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has handled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with consummate skill so far, but may be on the verge of making a potentially catastrophic mistake. According to the New York Times, the administration has concluded that if Ukraine “can show Russia that its control of Crimea can be threatened, that would strengthen Kyiv’s position in any future negotiations.” To this end, Biden’s team is now considering whether to supply Ukraine with weapons that could allow it to put Russia’s hold on Crimea “in jeopardy.” Crimea should not become an inviolable sanctuary for Russian troops, but helping Ukraine to recapture — or even threaten to recapture — Crimea would be unlikely to lead to productive negotiations and could even spark a nuclear war.
Russian Envoy Blames US for Raising Tensions Around New START
TASS
Moscow has been irreproachably observing the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and responsibility for the escalation of the treaty issues lies entirely with Washington, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said. The envoy was asked to comment on the US Department of State’s report, which accused Russia of violating the treaty’s terms but noted that Moscow could return to compliance by allowing inspections on its soil and agreeing to a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission.
North Korea Warns of ‘Overwhelming Nuclear Force’ to Counter U.S.
Associated Press
North Korea said Thursday it is prepared to counter U.S. military moves with the “most overwhelming nuclear force” as it warned that the expansion of the United States’ combined military exercises with rival South Korea is pushing tensions to an “extreme red line.” The statement by Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry came in response to comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said Tuesday in Seoul that the United States would increase its deployment of advanced military assets to the Korean Peninsula, including fighter jets and aircraft carriers, as it strengthens joint training and operational planning with South Korea.
Iran Says IAEA Stance on Nuclear Work "Incorrect" - Mizan
Reuters
Iran's said on Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) latest position on Tehran's nuclear work was not correct, according to Mizan news agency. The U.N. nuclear watchdog criticised Iran on Wednesday for making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, at its Fordow plant.
A Tiny but Dangerous Radioactive Capsule is Found in Western Australia
JOE HERNANDEZ | NPR
Authorities in Western Australia said Wednesday they had found a tiny capsule containing radioactive material that went missing during transport last month on an Outback highway. The round, silver capsule — measuring roughly a quarter of an inch in diameter by a third of an inch tall, or the size of the pea — was found south of the mining town of Newman on the Great Northern Highway. It was detected by a search vehicle when specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the capsule. Portable search equipment was then used to locate it about 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the side of the road.
Roundtable: Making Nuclear Injustice an Agenda for Change
Franziska Stärk and Ulrich Kühn | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
In a recent essay for the Bulletin, we argued that the global nuclear order is fundamentally unjust. We called for critical reflection on past, ongoing, and future nuclear injustices to better connect the dots between scholarly fields and social movements. For this roundtable, we invited four scholars, practitioners, and abolition advocates to further articulate what a research agenda on nuclear injustice should look like.