Iran
U.S. lawmakers say Iran talks inadequate, urge more penalties
Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton, Reuters – April 16, 2012
U.S. lawmakers on Monday pushed for more sanctions against Iran after talks between Tehran and global powers failed to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program.
The stage is set for a deal with Iran
David Ignatius, Washington Post – April 17, 2012
The author argues the Iranians expect to be paid, in “step-by-step” increments, as they move toward a deal. At a minimum, they will want a delay of the U.S. and European sanctions that take full effect June 28 and July 1, respectively.
Romney’s foreign policy may mean hardball is back
Steven Hurst, Associated Press – April 18, 2012
Mitt Romney wants the United States to get much tougher with Iran and to end what a top adviser calls President Barack Obama’s “Mother, may I?” consensus-seeking foreign policy.
Korean Peninsula
North Korea Says It Will Abandon Deal With U.S.
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times – April 17, 2012
North Korea said on Tuesday that it was abandoning an agreement it made in February with the United States, in which it promised to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear tests and long-range missile tests.
United States
Opponents of Nuclear Cuts Misread Trends
Greg Thielmann, Roll Call – April 18, 2012
U.S. security will only be improved by further reductions. For the most part, opponents of nuclear cuts focus their concerns on Russia, but they have difficulty figuring out how to characterize the Russian threat more than 20 years after the end of the Cold War. In one moment, they cite Moscow’s surly rhetoric and stated intention of reinvesting in Russia’s strategic defense budget. In the next breath, they dismiss arms control efforts as unnecessary in light of Russia’s decline and as irrelevant for addressing more urgent threats from China, North Korea and Iran.
