“This has become a contest of wills.” “Much of the Iranian challenge results from responses to what it sees as the strategically hostile environment created by the United States and her allies.”
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Analyst view – Iran invites envoys to visit atomic sites
“This invitation is to be welcomed. Whilst no big breakthrough in openness in itself, as ambassadors without detailed technical understanding of the facilities will hardly discover any major new information from such a visit, it is a goodwill gesture and does mark a shift in approach towards engagement, and recognition that the international community has a legitimate interest in Iran's nuclear programme.” Paul Ingram, BASIC's executive director was quoted.
Barack Obama’s lame-duck wins let him enjoy his turkey
“Nuclear disarmament is one of the things that Obama really cares about, and he decided to stake his personal credibility on this vote,”…..”I wouldn't rule out the administration testing the water next year to see whether they can get the votes in the Senate to ratify the global test ban treaty, which would provide a crucial push towards it coming into force.”
Iran Nuclear Negotiatiors Begin, No Breakthrough Seen
“Trust is going to take a long time to develop, and they’re not going to come out of this meeting with an agreement. There is an increased willingness now to discuss real issues.”
Paul Ingram, executive director of the BASIC, was quoted. To read more click here:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-07/iran-has-positive-view-on-ge…
And here:
America’s diplomatic secrets go public
“If you hang around with diplomats, they might be smiling to you, on the one hand, while at the same time, they're stabbing you in the back. It's reassuring because they are sticking to the same talking points in private and in public, whether they're talking to government officials or to journalists or to non-government organizations.”
Anne Penketh, BASIC's Program Director, was interviewed about the WikiLeaks dump of U.S. cables with Michael Shire of the National Journal and Susan Glasser of Foreign Policy on WAMU radio.
New START Treaty hanging in Senate limbo
“The administration doesn’t want the whole thing to be reopened when they’ve already gone through 20 briefings, they’ve already answered 900 questions for the record,”Anne Penketh, BASIC's program director in Washington, told the Epoch Times.
Read the full article here: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/46462/
Nato’s tactical nuclear weapons: the new doctrine
Nato's new strategic concept was described as a “conservative, backward-looking” document and “a missed opportunity” in a joint statement issued by BASIC and the Arms Control Association. To read more click here:
Obama: NATO to erect missile shield for Europe
“In an astonishing demonstration of weakness, NATO heads of state have failed to tackle the Cold War legacy of the deployment of U.S. nuclear gravity bombs in Europe, threatening the credibility of NATO members’ claims to be interested in non-proliferation and global disarmament.”