Morning Joe: Iran Signals Slowdown of Nuclear Program
Stories we're following today:
IAEA to Report Slowdown of Iran's Nuclear Program Ahead of Talks - Reuters [link]
- U.N. inspectors are set to report that Iran has slowed the expansion of its disputed nuclear program and is cooperating more with them just as major powers prepare to discuss harsh sanctions against Tehran.
- Whatever they ultimately decide will hinge on how the report is interpreted: is Iran really shifting policy away from nuclear defiance to open doors to negotiations, or making only temporary gestures timed to keep Russia and China opposed to truly biting sanctions and buy Tehran time to fine-tune uranium enrichment?
Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: Yes, We Can! - Barry Blechman on Atlantic-community.org [link]
- The only problem addressed by nuclear weapons is the one they cause - deterring the possibility of their use. It follows, therefore, that if every nuclear-capable state agreed to eliminate its weapons, nothing would be lost by any of them.
- It is a dangerous delusion to believe that nuclear war can be deterred indefinitely and that nuclear terrorism can be avoided in a world containing twenty or thirty nuclear arsenals.
- We must not hesitate to begin traveling the road to zero -- the risks of inaction are far too great. We know how to eliminate nuclear weapons technically; all that is needed is the political will to do so.
WSJ Missile Defense Rebuttal - Nukes of Hazard
- Travis Sharp and Kingston Reif of Nukes of Hazard posted a two-part series rebutting a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal supporting missile defense. The subject of the rebuttals was involving enough that the authors deemed it necessary to split up the workload into two posts.
- Read Here: Part I [link] & Part II [link]
Turkey’s Nuclear Crossroads - Alexandra Bell in Good Magazine [link]
- Turkey has quietly held NATO tactical nuclear weapons since the Cold War. Removing them will be a critical step towards a safer world. But it won’t be easy.
- Alexandra Bell is the Project Manager at Ploughshares Fund.
Ambassador Susan Rice on Engagement and U.S. Goals - NPR's Morning Edition [link]