IRAN
Iran nuclear crisis: EU moves towards crude oil ban
BBC – January 4, 2012
EU member states have agreed in principle to ban imports of Iranian crude oil to put pressure on the country over its nuclear programme.
EU’s Iran oil ban: Will China help Tehran?
Peter Ford, The Christian Science Monitor – January 5, 2012
If Iran is hoping that China will buy more of its oil to make up the exports it is slated to lose because of a European embargo on Tehran’s crude it will be disappointed, Chinese analysts here predict.
Iran’s growing state of desperation
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post (Op-Ed) – January 4, 2012
The discussion everywhere these days is about Iran’s strength. Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner, describes Iran as “the greatest threat that the world faces over the next decade.” He and others are impressed by Iran’s recent declarations about its nuclear capacities and its missile tests.
Republican contenders talk tough on Iran
Michael Muskal, LA Times – January 4, 2012
Most political analysts have long argued that the 2012 presidential election will hinge on the nation’s economy and job creation. Then why did Mitt Romney, in his post-Iowa caucuses speech, spotlight another place that begins with the letter “I” — Iran?
NORTH KOREA
Regional powers must keep pressure on N.K. to denuclearize: British envoy
Kim Deok-hyun and Lee Haye-ah, Yonhap News – January 5, 2012
The British ambassador to South Korea said Thursday that regional powers should not ease pressure on the new North Korean leadership to abandon its nuclear ambitions, despite concerns over stability in the North sparked by the death of Kim Jong-il.
A Private Citizen in North Korea
Jack Rosen, The Huffington Post (Blog) – January 4, 2012
As North Koreans mourn the death of Kim Jong Il, and the world wonders what the future holds with his 20-something untested youngest son set to take control of a nuclear nation, my thoughts return to a somewhat unlikely visit to a country like no other.
IRAQ
Attacks targeting Shiites kill 57 in Iraq
Sameer N. Yacoub, AP – January 5, 2012
A wave of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq killed 57 people on Thursday, deepening sectarian tensions that exploded just as soon as the last American troops left the country in mid-December.
UNITED STATES
Barack Obama unveiling new defense plan
Charles Hopskinson, Politico – January 5, 2012
President Barack Obama makes an unusual visit to the Pentagon on Thursday to unveil a new U.S. defense strategy designed to protect national security while saving up to $1 trillion over 10 years from planned spending.
What do the Iowa results say about Republican foreign policy?
Peter Feaver, Foreign Policy (Blog) – January 4, 2012
There are still policy divisions: some Republicans think there should be essentially no cuts in defense spending, while others are willing to live with the first round of Obama cuts; some Republicans want more of a populist message on Chinese trade policy, while others want more of a traditional free trade posture; and so on. But I think the big intra-party fight over foreign policy is over, if it ever really began.
