Morning Joe: Iran, Diplomacy, & Tactical Patience

Stories we're following today:

Make Them Wait - Trita Parsi in Foreign Policy [link]

• Although diplomacy must remain the policy, the momentous upheaval in Iran has completely changed the political landscape. Opening talks with Iran's current government at this decisive moment could backfire severely. Indeed, now is the time for a tactical pause with Iran.
• The Obama administration should avoid repeating the key mistake of the Bush administration, for which Iran was solely viewed through the prism of its nuclear program.
• Note: Trita Parsi is the President of the National Iranian American Council - a Ploughshares grantee.

Media Coverage of Moscow Summit Misses the Mark - Kelly Bronk of Ploughshares Fund [link]

• Despite the steps Presidents Obama and Medvedev took towards creating a more secure, nuclear-weapons free world at the recent Moscow summit – including issuing a framework for deeper cuts in nuclear weapons and an agreement to secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists – mainstream media coverage of the event largely missed the boat.
• Note: Kelly Bronk is a Program Assistant at Ploughshares Fund

U.S. Takes Steps to Boost Security Cooperation With Russia - Walter Pincus of the Washington Post [link]

• This week, a team of military experts went to Moscow for the first round of discussions on an early warning center that would assess the threat of ballistic missiles, including any from Iran or North Korea, the officials said. U.S. and Russian officials are also planning to hold talks in October to lay the groundwork for extensive military programs next year.

The Kyl Amendment - Jeffrey Lewis of Arms Control Wonk [link]

• Lots of debate in the blogosphere among the kids about the Kyl Admendment and modernization... Allow me to recap.
• On the substance, to borrow Senator Kyl’s taxonomy, it is an open question about whether to refurbish, reuse or replace. For what it is worth, I tend to think that we ought to seek to preserve current capabilities at the lowest cost and technical risk.

John Bolton's Nuclear Fantasy - My analysis in Huffington Post [link]

• John Bolton told Jon Stewart he wanted America to be the only nation with nuclear weapons. Stewart is the comedian, but this policy is the joke.
• Nod to "NIAC Insight", a blog by the National Iranian American Council - [link]

The List: The World's Biggest Military Boondoggles - Foreign Policy [link]

• U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has taken drastic measures recently to cut the Pentagon's bloated weapons projects. But other countries are struggling with their own defense albatrosses, too.