Iran
How the Iran Nuclear Standoff Looks From Russia
Dmitri Trenin, Bloomberg – February 15, 2012
When Russians look at Iran, they see a country that has been their neighbor and rival forever. As the Russian empire advanced, it wrestled the North and South Caucasus from the Shah. Peter the Great annexed, briefly, Iran’s entire Caspian Sea coastline and put his forces just north of Tehran
West Weighs Tehran’s Offer to Talk
Jay Solomon and Laurence Norman, Wall Street Journal – February 17, 2012
A call by Iran for a quick resumption of nuclear negotiations with world powers drew a cautiously receptive response from U.S. and European officials on Thursday, opening a potential avenue for reducing the mounting tensions between Tehran and the West.
U.S. Intelligence Chief Sees Limited Benefit in an Attack on Iran
Ken Dilanian, LA Times
An Israeli bombing attack might set back Iran’s nuclear development program by one to two years, America’s top intelligence official told a Senate committee Thursday, indicating that viable military options are far more limited than Israeli leaders have suggested.
Sanctions May Be Changing Iran’s Nuke Plans
Shaun Waterman, Washington Times – February 16, 2012
Iran’s leaders “may be changing their mind” about pressing ahead with their nuclear program in the teeth of international sanctions, the U.S. intelligence chief told senators Thursday.
Panetta Says Iran Enriching Uranium But No Decision Yet on Proceeding with a Nuclear Weapon
Associated Press – February 16, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that U.S. intelligence shows Iran is enriching uranium in a disputed nuclear program but that Tehran has not made a decision on whether to proceed with development of an atomic bomb.
U.S
Obama’s Unilateral Disarmament
Washington Times – February 16, 2012
President Obama is working to realize the leftist dream of unilateral nuclear disarmament. This will leave the United States pitifully weak and create conditions for catastrophic deterrence failure.
U.S. Weighing Steep Nuclear Arms Cuts
Robert Burns, Associated Press – February 16, 2012
The Obama administration is weighing options for sharp new cuts to the U.S. nuclear force, including a reduction of up to 80 percent in the number of deployed weapons, The Associated Press has learned.
U.S. Can Safely Take Deeper Nuclear Arms Cuts: Senior Defense OfficialElaine M. Grossman, Global Security Newswire – February 16, 2012
A top Defense Department official on Wednesday said a fresh round of reductions in strategic nuclear weapons could be done without harming U.S. security, though the Pentagon has not yet offered President Obama a recommendation on the matter
Korean Peninsula
Ex-S.Korean Official Met N.Koreans in Beijing: Source
Yonhap News Agency – February 16, 2012
Yim Tae-hee, a former South Korean presidential chief of staff, recently met with North Korean diplomats in the Chinese capital, a source here said Thursday.
