IRAN
Nuclear Inspectors in Iran
Associated Press – January 29, 2012
Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism Sunday that a visit by U.N. inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities would produce an understanding, despite world concerns that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb Vs Iran
Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal – January 28, 2012
Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn’t yet capable of destroying Iran’s most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.
Iran Hits Back at EU With Own Oil Embargo Threat
Robin Pomeroy and Hashem Kalantari, Reuters – January 27, 2012
Fighting sanctions with sanctions in a trial of strength with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran warned on Friday it may halt oil exports to Europe next week in a move calculated to hurt ailing European economies.
U.S., Europe Choose Risky Strategy with Sanctions on Iran
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim, Los Angeles Times – January 29, 2012
Broader restrictions on oil exports and banking may damage the economy enough to force Iran to change course. Or maybe the move will just stir anger.
U.S.
US Weapons for Future Include Key Relics of Past
Associated Press – January 28, 2012
The lineup of weapons the Pentagon has picked to fit President Barack Obama’s new forward-looking defense strategy, called “Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” features relics of the past.
New Strategy, Old Pentagon Budget
New York Times – January 29, 2012
The $259 billion in budget cuts over the next five years announced by the Pentagon may sound like a lot. But they are mainly a scaling back of previously projected spending — the delights of the Washington budget games.
Senator Puts US Nuclear Arsenal in Doubt
Paul Bedard, U.S. News and World Report – January 26, 2012
The Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee today questioned the value of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, putting in motion efforts to cut the numbers and costs of missiles and bombs that are part of the Pentagon’s “nuclear triad.”
KOREAN PENINSULA
North Korea Warns South Over Military Drill but Accepts Food Aid
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times – January 27, 2012
North Korea warned on Friday that a South Korean military drill around frontline islands could lead to a “full-scale war,” even as it allowed South Korean trucks carrying private food aid for North Korean children to cross the border.
North Korea Succession Offers U.S. Opportunity
Joel Brinkley, San Francisco Chronicle – January 29, 2012
Don’t give up on Kim Jong Un, the cherubic naif who is North Korea’s new supreme leader.
