Iran
Iran says ready to resolve nuclear issues
Marcus George, Reuters – April 16, 2012
Iran is ready to resolve all nuclear issues in the next round of talks with world powers if the West starts lifting sanctions, its foreign minister said on Monday.
Korean Peninsula
New paint job, same old problems: North Korea’s rockets, missiles show little progress
Associated Press – April 17, 2012
Analysts sifting through information on North Korea’s failed rocket launch say it suggests Pyongyang has learned little about spaceflight since its last flubbed attempt three years ago, and that it’s a long way from being able to threaten the United States with a long-range missile.
U.N. Council to Expand North Korea Sanctions
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times – April 16, 2012
The United Nations Security Council officially censured North Korea on Monday over the failed rocket launching of a satellite last week, saying it “strongly condemns” the action and had ordered its sanctions committee to expand the blacklist of North Korean goods, companies and individuals connected to that country’s nuclear and missile programs.
Afghanistan
US prepares for last major Afghan offensive
Patrick Quinn, Associated Press – April 16, 2012
The U.S.-led spring offensive, expected to begin in the coming weeks, may be NATO’s last chance to shore up Kabul’s defenses before a significant withdrawal of combat troops limits its options. The focus will be regions that control the main access routes, roads and highways into Kabul from the desert south and the mountainous east. These routes are used not only by militants but by traders carrying goods from Pakistan and Iran.
Defense Budget
ICBM Coalition Of Rural Senators Fights Nuclear Weapons Cuts
Andrea Stone, Huffington Post – April 17, 2012
North Korea’s failed rocket launch and new arms talks with Iran have thrust the issue of nuclear proliferation back into the headlines. But while President Barack Obama faces obstacles around the globe to his vision of “a world without nuclear weapons,” pork-barrel politics and campaign cash are slowing disarmament at home.
Middle East
Syria violence casts doubt on U.N. observer mission: U.S.
Michelle Nichols and Doina Chiacu, Reuters – April 16, 2012
Sporadic violence across Syria in violation of a shaky 4-day-old truce cast doubt over U.N. plans to expand a small observer mission charged with overseeing an end to 13 months of conflict, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said Monday.
East Asia
U.S.-Philippine War Games Start Amid China Standoff
Floyd Whaley, New York Times – April 16, 2012
Against a backdrop of tension between Manila and Beijing, the Philippines and the United States began joint military exercises on Monday that will include mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China.
