NORTH KOREA
Pyongyang’s Neighbors Worry Over Nuclear Arms
Keith Johnson, WSJ – December 20, 2011
For years, the biggest questions surrounding North Korea have involved the isolated country’s nuclear devices and its missiles, some of which could reach Alaska. How the country’s leadership succession will unfold in the aftermath of dictator Kim Jong Il’s death—and what that means for North Korea’s huge military and its nuclear arsenal—has now emerged in sharp relief.
North Korea’s nuclear program
Suzanne Kelly & Pam Benson, CNN (Blog) – December 20, 2011
When it comes to assessing the future of North Korea’s nuclear position and potential threat under a new leader, even the experts describe this transfer of power as an interesting predicament.
Chance for fresh nuclear detente with South Korea
Rowan Callick, The Australian – December 21, 2011
A senior South Korean intelligence official told The Australian he hoped the regime in the north now reconsidered its development of nuclear weapons, adding he felt there was a greater move towards dialogue.
North Korea: The View From Japan
Kirk Spitzer, TIME magazine (Blog) – December 20, 2011
Troops are not on high alert. Cities are not being evacuated. Leaders are not sprinting for fortified bunkers. As odd and erratic as the North Koreans might be, they are not about to inaugurate new leadership by raining nuclear destruction on their Asian-Pacific neighbors – and they probably couldn’t do so even if they wanted.
IRAN
Iran invites UN nuclear inspectors for visit
AFP – December 20, 2011
Iran has invited the UN atomic watchdog for a visit, but it is unclear whether inspectors would have access to sites where covert nuclear weapons activity is suspected, Western diplomats said Tuesday.
US and allies meet in Rome to discuss possible new Iran sanctions
AP – December 19, 2011
Italy is hosting a meeting of the United States and its allies to discuss sanctions against Iran in a bid to halt its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. The Italian Foreign Ministry said officials of “like-minded countries” are meeting Tuesday in Rome but did not give details.
UNITED STATES
The Cold War Is Long Gone, but the Nuclear Threat Is Still Here
Eric Auner, The Atlantic – December 20, 2011
In the two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the nuclear challenges facing the United States have changed radically. American nuclear strategy has not. American nuclear forces are largely designed to deter a superpower that no longer exists. Meanwhile, nuclear and missile technology is more widely available than ever to outlier states like Iran and North Korea, and Americans continue to worry about a nuclear weapon winding up in the hands of a terrorist.
How Dangerous is the World? Part IV
Paul Miller, Foreign Policy – December 20, 2011
In my previous three posts, I argued that the world today is more dangerous than it was during the Cold War because the threat from Russia and China is still present, on top of which we face new threats from new nuclear autocracies hostile to the United States, including North Korea, soon Iran, and possibly Pakistan.
N Korea Reactions Show Differences Between Governing, Campaigning
Frank James, npr (Blog) – December 19, 2011
The guarded reaction of the Obama Administration to news of the death of Kim Jung Il, the North Korean dictator, compared with the less diplomatic language of the Republican presidential candidates Monday underscored the differences between governing and campaigning. Candidates for the Oval Office often have a freedom that presidents don’t.
