There was overwhelming momentum seen in 2010 on the international stage with numerous initiatives on arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, and disarmament. Unfortunately, this momentum was not as evident in 2011, as it seemed as though the international focus had shifted. Nevertheless, BASIC’s tempo was itself maintained into 2011 as we attempted to play our role in returning the focus to effective efforts to achieve nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in the United Kingdom, United States, Middle East, and Europe.
USA
The Obama Administration’s budget and nuclear weapons
Today, the Obama Administration will roll out the FY2013 federal budget and nuclear weapons watchers will be scanning through the details of the financial plans released for the Departments of Defense and Energy.
Iran Update: Number 156
• IAEA team holds talks with officials in Tehran; plans return visit
• EU agrees on oil embargo against Iran
• Sanctions recap– Obama signs freeze on Iranian government property in the United States
• Officials exchange visits in Israel and the United States
Getting a ‘New START’ on the next negotiations
Today will be Ellen Tauscher’s final day as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Rose Gottemoeller is expected to be named as her successor for the time being. As the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, Gottemoeller negotiated New START for the US and this weekend marked the one year anniversary of its entry into force.
Getting to Zero Update
BASIC recently wrapped up a series of events in Cairo, including a joint press workshop with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization and an off-the-record seminar on the politics of regional nuclear proliferation.
Iran, the IAEA, and the U.S. Presidential Race
The International Atomic Energy Agency has sent special representatives to Tehran. The senior team will be there to discuss with Iranian officials outstanding questions related to a possible military dimension in the country’s nuclear program.
Obama and the Bomb
The rhetoric in the arms control community has changed in the past 5 years. Working to achieve “Global Zero” or a “world free of nuclear weapons” have become common expressions, vocalized by governments and top level officials whom previously subscribed to a much different school of thought. It is unquestionable that U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration have made a massive impact on the strength and direction of the non-proliferation and disarmament regime and thus it is not surprising to have a compilation of essays by nuclear experts entitled “Obama and the Bomb.”
A Thorn in Their Side
A Thorn in their Side: The Hilda Murrell Murder? by Commander Robert Green. This book could have been a crime novel except the plot was too complicated for a fictional writer to dream up and, unlike most crime novels, the murder is not solved nor are the real perpetrators apprehended. But it comes very close.