The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold its fall Board meeting this week, and as usual Iran’s nuclear program will be on the agenda. Though some news reports have played up the Agency’s latest assessment as final proof that Iran is on the fast track to a nuclear weapon, others have pointed out that the IAEA’s indicators reveal a program that is moving more slowly
Programmes
Revising NATO’s Nuclear Posture: The Way Forward
Dr Oliver Meier argues that NATO’s Strategic Concept did not live up to the expectations put forward earlier under U.S. President Barack Obama’s Prague Agenda. Meier proposes four steps that the Alliance should take through the ongoing Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) in order to improve its nuclear stance.
Iran Update: Number 152
- Russia proposes new diplomatic effort; IAEA and Iran continue stalemate
- Nuclear program facing more delays
- Sanctions
- Assassination of Iranian with alleged links to nuclear program
Getting to Zero Update
Although implementation of the New START nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States was moving along, disagreement over missile defense continued to pose a serious blockage in the relationship. Diplomatic efforts around North Korea were at an uptick, and India and Pakistan have managed to revive stalled peace talks.
A South Asian Nuclear Reconciliation?
South Asia is often cited as the most intractable bilateral nuclear dispute on the planet. Even setting aside the divisive issue of Kashmir, the dispute between India and Pakistan has the added complexity that it involves at root the very identity of the two states.
Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe
An event at the Brookings Institution tomorrow will highlight the future of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.
Senior Fellow Steven Pifer, director of the Arms Control Initiative at Brookings, will discuss his recent paper “NATO, Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control”, which sets out recommendations to achieve the eventual removal of the estimated 180 B61 gravity bombs in five European countries. He will be joined on the panel by experts Hans Kristensen, from the Federation of American Scientists, and Frank Miller of the Scowcroft Group.
Experts Urge NATO to Reduce Role of Nuclear Weapons and Open the Door for the Removal of U.S. Tactical Warheads
More than two dozen nuclear experts and former senior government officials (including Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Gen. Bernard Norlain of France) are calling on NATO “to declare a more limited role for its nuclear capabilities that would help open the way for overdue changes to its Cold War-era policy of forward-basing U.S. tactical nuclear weapons. This would help facilitate another, post-New START round of reductions, which should involve of all types of Russian and U.S.
Toward a Meaningful NATO Deterrence and Defense Posture Review
A group of experts, including former officials from offices of State, Defence and military services, have sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, to offer a series of recommendations for the Alliance's Deterrence and Defence Posture Review.