On Monday, President Obama announced the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel for the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense. Hagel previously served two six-year terms in the Senate, as the Republican representative for Nebraska from 1997-2009.
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Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty
An FMCT would require that all member states refrain from producing additional bomb-grade fuel for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, but would not obligate them to reduce existing stockpiles. There is no agreed-upon text for such a treaty. The Conference on Disarmament (CD) has been the main venue for negotiations.
BASIC NEWS: OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012
BASIC Update from October to December 2012: BASIC Trident Commission ; WMD Free Zone in the Middle East ; Strategic Dialogue
This Week – Looking to the Year Ahead
This week there is much wrangling within the media about the likely appointment of former Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. As a politician apparently immune to the usual herd instinct and the pressures of the lobbyists, such lobbyists are attempting to block the possible appointment. Some whisper the principal reason lies in his belief that a military attack on Iran would be a mistake.
U.S. defense decisions amid fiscal constraints
The U.S. Senate passed its long-awaited defense bill on December 4th, authorizing a billion budget for defense spending in FY 2013. During the coming week, the “conference committee” will be tasked with reconciling this bill with the House version. This process is taking place against the backdrop of intense debates over the looming “fiscal cliff”: the across-the-board cuts which threaten to come into effect if a deal on public spending is not agreed by January 1.
Acclaimed Arms Control Anniversaries
For those interested in understanding how we can seize opportunities to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons and enhance regional and global security, this week sees two significant anniversaries.
On December 3rd 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush met in Malta to declare an end to the Cold War after two days of talks.
Russia in the Middle East
With recent regime changes and ongoing conflicts, the Middle East is a major concern for security threats and proliferation of WMD. The international community is heavily involved in the region, but it seems that Russia's goals in and for the Middle East have been scrutinized by Western powers.
Announcements made on the Helsinki ‘2012 Conference’
The long-awaited announcements on the delay to the Helsinki ‘2012 Conference’ on a nuclear and other WMD free zone in the Middle East came out over the weekend from the co-sponsors.