Iran
Israel’s President Criticizes Talk of Unilateral Strike on Iran
Isabel Kershner, New York Times – August 16, 2012
Shimon Peres, Israel’s president and elder statesman, spoke out Thursday against the prospect of a lone Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a message that contradicts the hawkish, go-it-alone line emanating from the offices of Israel’s prime minister and defense minister.
The military uncertainties of an attack on Iran
Michael O’Hanlon, CNN – August 15, 2012
Military strikes against the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, together with other possible targets related to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, could last for a single day and single sortie – or they could last for several days or even weeks.
Diplomacy is the best tool for Iran
Nicholas Burns, Boston Globe – August 16, 2012
With negotiations flagging, sanctions inconclusive, and an intransigent Iran speeding boldly ahead with its nuclear enrichment program, the US government appears determined to stop Iran one way or another.
North Korea
N. Korea may own 48 nuclear weapons by 2015: report
The Korea Times – August 17, 2012
North Korea may build up to 48 nuclear weapons, both based on plutonium and uranium, by 2015 or 2016 unless negotiations and other proper measures are implemented to head off such a potential threat, a U.S. think tank report said Thursday.
Exclusive: North Korea threatens to reconsider 2005 agreement with U.S.
Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy – August 16, 2012
North Korean officials threatened to reconsider existing agreements with the United States in a recent meeting in Singapore, two sources familiar with the discussions told The Cable.
Afghanistan
Afghan war barely echoes in US
Bryan Bender, Boston Globe – August 17, 2012
The longest war in American history commands little attention or debate — in the halls of Congress, on the presidential campaign trail, or in the public square.
Syria
Why Iran, more than Russia, may obstruct US goals in Syria
Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor – August 15, 2012
The United States is increasingly realizing that as it seeks to end Syria’s violence and drive President Bashar al-Assad from power, it may not be so much Russia that it has to confront, but Iran.
