Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The fire in the spent fuel pool in Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the explosion inside another reactor have opened more pathways for radiation to be released, prompting the nuclear industry to reconsider whether their designs for reactors are sufficient to withstand significant natural disasters.
China’s perception of India’s military modernization and space capabilities has evolved over recent years, and growing bilateral strains demonstrate the need for collaborative measures to reduce tensions and clarify national policies.
Since the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are nuclear weapon states, they struggle in their attempts to convince other nations, like Iran and North Korea, not to develop a nuclear weapon program.
The status of North Korea has a strong affect on bilateral relations between the United States and China.
Having cleared the Senate, New START is now proceeding towards implementation, but the method for verifying the dismantlement of warheads remains a key challenge that must be resolved in a future agreement.
Even as the West struggles to understand the Islamic Republic and determine the best way to deal with Tehran, Iran remains central to many of the chief foreign policy challenges facing the United States.
Although the Iranian president has claimed that leaked diplomatic messages detailing Arab calls for the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities are Western propaganda, the Gulf states have always been apprehensive of Tehran’s nuclear aspirations.
In the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 contested presidential elections, the economy is under serious strain and there are rumors of tensions between President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei.
The Obama administration recognizes that the weaponization of outer space is a threat to U.S. security and has expressed willingness to hold talks about the future of arms control in space.
Although Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has told conflicting stories regarding the nature of his time in the United States, his defection represents the growing dissatisfaction of the Iranian people towards the regime.