Morning Joe: Pakistan Blocking Movement on Fissile Material Ban

Stories we're following today:

Pakistan blocks advance in disarmament talks - Reuters [link]

• Pakistan is blocking a seemingly agreed relaunch of long-stalled international disarmament talks, throwing doubt on prospects for a key accord to curb production of nuclear weapons, diplomats said on Monday.

With Iran, a Tactical Pause Is Needed - Trita Parsi in the Huffington Post [link]

• The political chaos in Iran has made Tehran incapable of negotiating with the U.S. If the U.S. adheres to its pre-Iranian election crisis timeline, and seeks engagement with Iran prior to September, it risks dealing with an Iran that can't negotiate, can't decide and can't deliver.
• So, if the U.S. has four years, rather than three months -[as assessed by the State Department's intelligence bureau]-, to address the Iranian nuclear program through diplomacy before Iran can produce HEU, then the case for a pause is stronger than ever.
  
• Note: Trita Parsi is the President of the National Iranian American Council - a Ploughshares Grantee.

Damascus and the Road to Mideast Peace - Edward Djerejian in the Wall Street Journal [link]

• Though in recent months some have derided the power of dialogue, the truth is that strategic engagement with our enemies remains absolutely essential for our national security. Talking to our adversaries with a clear purpose in mind is not a sign of weakness.
• U.S. policy should focus on promoting a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace settlement, and on supporting the moderates in the region by the judicious use of soft and hard power to marginalize the extremists. U.S. engagement with Syria could be a key component of this strategy.

Israel Invite Clouds President Obama's Nuclear Summit - Politico [link]

• Obama told leaders at the G-8 summit in July that he planned to ask the heads of 25 to 30 countries to come to Washington to discuss securing nuclear stockpiles. The final invites haven’t gone out yet, and one key question for Obama is this: does he ask Israel to attend, or not?
  
• It’s not just a question of Israel, of course. Compiling the roster of countries to be invited is a high wire task for the White House... “They’re trying to finalize it now in August or by the fall,” said Alex Toma of Connect U.S., who is organizing a parallel summit of private groups pushing for strong commitments from world leaders.

NNSA FAQ on FOGBANK - Nukes of Hazard [link]

• Quoted from an NNSA FAQ:
  All issues involving Fogbank production have been resolved. NNSA leveraged resources from across the nuclear security enterprise and the commercial sector to resolve the problems. The Fogbank being manufactured today is as good as, if not better than, the original product.
  

The Lighter Side

Kim Jong Il In Control Of North Korea - The Onion [link]

• Despite speculation to the contrary, White House national security adviser James L. Jones said Sunday that North Korean president Kim Jong Il has full range of his faculties. What do you think?
• "That's right. He has full range of his completely insane faculties."