NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Nuke Troubles Run Deep; Key Officers “Burned Out”
The Associated Press – November 20, 2013
An unpublished study by the RAND Corporation has revealed serious behavioral issues among personnel within the Air Force’s nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force. Reported cases of burnout, domestic violence and sexual assaults were, on average, far higher in the ICBM force than in the overall Air Force.
IRAN
WRAPUP 7-U.S. says ‘very hard’ to clinch deal as Iran nuclear talks resume
Parisa Hafezi, Louis Charbonneau and Justyna Pawlak, Reuters – November 20, 2013
The P5+1 (Russia, China, France, the UK, the US and Germany) and Iran resumed negotiations yesterday on a first-phase agreement to curb Iran’s controversial nuclear program. US officials have said that it would be “very hard” to clinch a breakthrough deal this week in light of Iranian officials publicly claiming “red lines” in the upcoming negations.
AP sources: Nuclear deal would give Iran sanctions relief of $6 billion to $10 billion
Associated Press – November 20, 2013
The Obama administration estimates that Iran would receive somewhere between $6 billion and $10 billion in sanctions relief if the country agrees to limit its nuclear activities in line with US demands. The figures are far lower than those claimed by senior Israeli government officials, congressmen and pro-Israel policy experts.
Iran: Difficult Differences at Nuke Talks
George Jahn and John Heilprin, Associated Press – November 20, 2013
The momentum that had characterized the previous round of P5+1 talks has slowed down in the current round of talks in Geneva according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Speaking to the Associated Press, Araghchi said “What we are trying now is to rebuild confidence that we lost in the previous round of negotiations.”
Israel, Gulf in ‘strange alliance’ against Iran
Brian Murphy, Associated Press – November 20, 2013
Israel and a number of Gulf Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, have found themselves in a ‘strange alliance’ in their common opposition to US diplomatic engagement with Iran in recent weeks. Despite the traditional mutual animosity between these countries, their common adversary in Iran has led them to realize the old adage of “an enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
NORTH KOREA
US: No Dialogue If NKorea Keeps Nukes Running
Matthew Pennington, Associated Press – November 21, 2013
National Security Adviser Susan Rice has said that the US will only be willing to reenter negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program if Pyongyang takes concrete steps to indicate its willingness to denuclearize. She also warned that the US may issue harsher sanctions against the country if it acts provocatively.
‘Strategic Patience’ with North Korea
Lt. General Robert Gard, The Diplomat – November 21, 2013
The current US policy of isolating and sanctioning North Korea will not force the East Asian country to dismantle its nuclear weapon program. Instead, this policy will give the country an incentive to sell weapons and nuclear technology on the black market in order to earn hard currency. The US would vastly improve its chances of achieving a nuclear weapons-free Korean peninsula if it entered into negotiations with the North without the unrealistic preconditions that it has demanded in the past.
CHINA
Inside the Ring: U.S. funds China’s nuclear security
Bill Gertz, The Washington Times – November 20, 2013
The Obama administration is funding a joint nuclear security center in Beijing that is designed to strengthen nuclear non-proliferation measures. Some conservative commentators have criticized the center in light of claims that US equipment, training and other security know-how will be used by the Chinese at their nuclear weapons production facilities.
