KOREAN PENINSULA
Defense Officials of S.Korea, U.S., Japan Say N. Korea ‘Stable’
Yonhap News Agency – January 31, 2012
Senior defense officials from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan consider the current North Korean regime “stable” under its new leader Kim Jong-un, sources said Tuesday.
Myanmar Denies Trying to Obtain N Korean Nukes
Times of India – January 31, 2012
Myanmar President Thein Sein has denied his country is trying to obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea, describing allegations of an illicit programme as “unfounded”, in remarks published Tuesday.
Senior DOD Official Extends Hand to North Korea, Warns Others
U.S. News and World Report – January 30, 2012
A senior Pentagon official invited North Korea’s new leader to the negotiating table Monday after sternly warning other would-be foes that shrinking defense budgets do not equal an American military in decline.
IRAN
‘Optimistic’ Iran Offers to Extend U.N. Nuclear Inspection
Associated Press – January 30, 2012
Iran’s top diplomat offered Monday to extend the current visit of U.N. nuclear inspectors and expressed optimism their findings would help ease tensions despite international claims that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Top Democrat, Republican Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Impose Tough Penalties on Iran
Associated Press – January 30, 2012
Determined to weaken Iran economically, a top Senate Democrat and Republican on Monday unveiled a bill to impose sweeping new penalties on Tehran and thwart its nuclear ambitions.
Israel Sees Narrowing Window for Attack on Iran
Amy Teibel, Associated Press – January 30, 2012
Officials are quietly conceding that new international sanctions targeting Iran’s suspect nuclear program, while welcome, are further constraining Israel’s ability to take military action — just as a window of opportunity is closing because Tehran is moving more of its installations underground.
White House: No Rush on Iran
Jeremy Herb and Amie Parnes, The Hill – January 30, 2012
The White House won’t be rushing to make a decision on Iran’s nuclear program, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday.
Global “Great Power Politics” Returns to Mideast
Peter Apps, Reuters – January 31, 2012
With Russia sending warships to discourage foreign intervention in Syria, and China drawn more deeply into Iran’s confrontation with the West, “great power” politics is swiftly returning to the Middle East.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
U.N. Watchdog Tentatively Backs Japan’s Nuclear Stress Tests
Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times – January 31, 2012
A United Nations fact-finding mission on Tuesday tentatively supported new stress tests designed to determine whether Japan’s nuclear plants can withstand another emergency, throwing its weight behind a government push to restart reactors idled in the wake of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the earthquake and tsunami in March.
