IRAN
Is Iran Already Under Attack?
The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg — December 2, 2011
Adam Chandler, the Goldblog deputy-editor-for-monitoring-Iran-obsessively-even-though-Goldblog-himself-also-monitors-Iran-obsessively, pointed out to me the other day that perhaps the West has already begun the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, that perhaps we ought to reframe this issue a bit.
Senate votes for new Iran sanctions, defying White House
Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times — December 2, 2011
The penalties are part of a defense bill that already faced a veto threat because of new requirements for holding terrorism suspects.
Insight: Did Conficker help sabotage Iran’s nuke program?
Jim Finkle, Reuters — November 2, 2011
A cyber warfare expert claims he has linked the Stuxnet computer virus that attacked Iran’s nuclear program in 2010 to Conficker, a mysterious “worm” that surfaced in late 2008 and infected millions of PCs.
NORTH KOREA
U.N. Fights to Maintain Food Aid for North Korea — With the Communist Regime as Middle Man
George Russell, Fox News — December 1, 2011
Despite serious U.S. concerns about whether food aid programs to North Korea can be monitored adequately, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is pushing hard to keep afloat an emergency aid program to feed about 3.5 million starving or desperately hungry citizens, at the behest of the dictatorial Kim Jong Il regime.
Russia Urges North Korea to Halt Nuclear Activities
Voice of America — December 1, 2011
Russia has urged North Korea to halt its uranium enrichment program and re-admit United Nations nuclear monitors to pave the way for international disarmament talks.
China urges allies to end NKorea nuclear projects
ABC News — December 1, 2011
China is calling for its allies to resume ‘six-party talks’ addressing the issue of North Korea in a bid to end the country’s current investments in nuclear programs.
CHINA
US experts skeptical over report on China nuclear force
Dan de Luce, Associated Foreign Press — December 1, 2011
Arms control experts are dismissing a report by US university students that suggests China’s nuclear arsenal may be much larger than previously estimated, saying the research is shoddy and unreliable.
Georgetown students claim China is hiding massive weapons arsenal in underground tunnels
Branden Goyette, New York Daily News — December 1, 2011
Not your typical class project: Three-year study causes controversy on Capitol Hill. China is hiding nuclear warheads inside a vast network of tunnels, according to a three-year investigation by a group of Georgetown University students.
More Tunnels, Yes. More Nukes? Not Necessarily.
Matt Durnin, Wall Street Journal — December 2, 2011
A claim by researchers at Georgetown University that massive digging projects by China’s People’s Liberation Army hint at a hidden nuclear arsenal much larger than previously estimated has generated both headlines and controversy in recent days. While many critics have rightly raised questions about the researchers’ sources, there is a more fundamental question: whether or not more tunnels mean more nukes.
