Will You Listen? A Dialogue on Creating the Conditions for Nuclear Disarmament
George Perkovich | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Responding directly to the invitation in the United States’ working paper presented to the states preparing to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this paper aims to encourage governments, international experts, and civil society to undertake dialogue on Creating the Conditions for Nuclear Disarmament.
‘Treasured Sword’: North Korea Seen as Reliant as ever on Nuclear Arsenal as Talks Stall
Josh Smith | Reuters
Amid signs that negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. are stalling, analysts say Pyongyang still sees its nuclear arsenal as a key tool in securing its national safety and winning concessions from international rivals. Just as the United States has doubled down on its sanctions on Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not retreated from his pledge to expand his operational force of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles, increasing his leverage under any still-elusive denuclearization deal.
Undeclared North Korea: Missile Operating Bases Revealed
Joseph Bermudez, Victor Cha, and Lisa Collins | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Though the subject of speculation by open-source researchers for years, new research undertaken by Beyond Parallel has located 13 of an estimated 20 North Korean missile operating bases that are undeclared by the government. The first of these reports by Beyond Parallel will focus on the missile base at Sakkanmol, one of the closest to the demilitarized zone and to Seoul, South Korea.
Decades After ‘Star Wars,’ Pentagon Looks Back to the Future on Missile Defense
Paul Sonne | Washington Post
More than three decades ago, Michael D. Griffin was at the center of the military’s “Star Wars” initiative, working to realize President Ronald Reagan’s dream of shielding the United States from Soviet missiles like “a roof protects a family from rain.” Now the 69-year-old scientist is back at the Pentagon as its top technology official, looking to revive some of the same missile defense concepts that proponents credited with helping end the Cold War and detractors ridiculed as the excesses of a hawkish Hollywood president. It is not only Griffin who has returned to the Pentagon. So, too, has the zeal of a great-power arms race reminiscent of the rivalry with the Soviet Union. Drawing on robust defense funding from Congress, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is embarking on a vast overhaul of the U.S. military to take aim at threats from Russia and China.
Iran Sticks to Nuclear Limit even as U.S. Oil Sanctions Bite
Jonathan Tirone | Stars and Stripes
Iran continued abiding by nuclear limits in its landmark accord with world powers even after President Donald Trump abandoned the agreement, according to international monitors.In its first report since the U.S. re-imposed oil and banking sanctions on Nov. 5, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran is still allowing intrusive inspections while keeping its nuclear capacity and material below thresholds allowed under the July 2015 deal, according to a 5-page restricted report published Monday and seen by Bloomberg News.
NATO Chief Calls on Russia to Stick with INF Treaty
Martin Banks | Defense News
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the deployment of new Russian SSC-8 missiles puts the “historic” Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in jeopardy. In a speech on Monday, he called on Russia to ensure “full compliance” with the treaty but at the same time repeated NATO's pledge not to deploy more nuclear weapons to Europe in case the pact between Washington and Moscow collapses.