IRAN
Ahmadinejad defends Iran’s nuclear program as he begins Latin America tour in Venezuela
Washington Post (AP) – January 10, 2012
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended his country’s nuclear program as he began a four-nation tour of Latin America, joining his ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in accusing the U.S. and its allies of using the dispute to unjustly threaten Iran.
OPEC will not get involved in Iran dispute: Venezuela
Reuters – January 9, 2012
OPEC will not get involved in the standoff between Iran and Western powers over its nuclear program, Venezuela’s oil minister said on Monday during an official visit by Iran’s president to Venezuela.
China says war over Iran will bring disaster
AFP – January 10, 2012
A top Chinese diplomat said Tuesday war over the Iranian nuclear issue would bring disaster to the world economy and urged all nations involved to exercise restraint and prevent hostilities.
Obama Ready to Strike to Stop Iran: Ex-Adviser
Indira A. R. Lakshmanan, Bloomberg – January 10, 2012
No one should doubt that President Barack Obama is prepared to use military force to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon if sanctions and diplomacy fail, the president’s former special assistant on Iran said.
Five reasons not to attack Iran
Adam B. Lowther,CNN (Blog) – January 9, 2012
For the United States, determining what a nuclear weapons-free Iran is worth is critical. Had the American people understood the costs of Iraq before the war began, it’s unlikely they would have given their consent. Given the current economic woes of the country, that cannot happen again
NORTH KOREA
North Korea diplomacy picks up in China
Jeremy Laurence, Reuters – January 10, 2012
North Korea has held secret talks with Japan in what is believed to be their first contact since the death of long-time leader Kim Jong-il, Japanese media said, as Pyongyang’s closest ally China and South Korea vowed to work closely on denuclearizing the North.
SYRIA
Syria’s Assad to call referendum, vows to crush terror
AFP – January 10, 2012
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday firmed up a timetable for promised reform in the face of 10 months of anti-regime protests but vowed to crush “terrorism” with an iron fist.
UNITED STATES
What GOP Candidates Need From New Hampshire
Frank James, npr (Blog) – January 10, 2012
If the New Hampshire primary goes as widely expected, Mitt Romney should emerge the winner among the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. For weeks, polls in the state have shown him with a commanding lead.
It’s Not Too Late to Go Negative on Mitt Romney
Brian Goldsmith, The Atlantic – January 10, 2012
Barring a political Chernobyl, Mitt Romney tonight will become the first Republican in the history of contested primaries to win both Iowa and New Hampshire. This “weak” frontrunner will have many people to thank — his staff, his strapping sons, those people he doesn’t know who produced that SuperPAC ad he happened to catch once but can recite verbatim. And yet, nobody deserves more credit than Romney’s opponents, who have run the most flaccid and ineffective primary campaigns in memory.
