Global warming results in meltdown of glaciers in Kashmir

Water in South Asia

Srinagar, Mar 30 (ANI): Kashmir is experiencing the effects of global warming, with high altitude glaciers retreating at an unprecedented rate, thus threatening the eco-system of the valley.

Owing to global warming, most of the small glaciers in Kashmir have melted totally, while the larger ones have decreased in size.
According to a study carried out by the Action Aid International (AAI) last year, many areas in Kashmir have seen a complete disappearance of small glaciers.

"The surface area of the glaciers has been decreased by two third in many cases in Kashmir. In the Peerpanjal mountain range, some glaciers have been totally disappeared. You know now you can't find glaciers beyond July- August in most of the Peerpanjal range. So, those glaciers which used to be there for the whole year, are difficult to find now and those who were the bigger ones have receded tremendously," said Arjimand Talib, the head of Kashmir branch of Action Aid International. More >>>

India-US 'move beyond' nuclear row -- for now

WASHINGTON (AFP) — 23 March 2009 - The United States and India have "moved beyond" bitter differences on nuclear weapons, a senior US official said, but more feuds could be on the horizon as President Barack Obama takes a harder anti-nuclear stance.

The world's two largest democracies both say they are ready for a deeper alliance, eyeing coordination on top priorities for Obama such as battling climate change and bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, delivering the Obama administration's first substantive remarks on relations with India, said Monday the United States sought a "third stage of rapprochement." More >>>

Politicized or Non-intelligent Intelligence

Israel stance was undoing of nominee for intelligence post.

12 March 2009: WASHINGTON: When Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence, announced that he would install Charles Freeman Jr. in a top intelligence post, the decision surprised some in the White House who worried that the selection could be controversial and an unnecessary distraction, according to administration officials.

Just how controversial the choice would be became clear on Tuesday, when Freeman, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia under the first President George W. Bush, angrily withdrew his name from consideration and charged that he had been the victim of a concerted campaign by what he called "the Israel lobby."

Freeman had long been critical of Israel, with a bluntness that American officials rarely voice in public about a staunch American ally. In 2006, he warned that, "left to its own devices, the Israeli establishment will make decisions that harm Israelis, threaten all associated with them and enrage those who are not."

He did not soften his tone even on Wednesday, saying in an interview that "Israel is driving itself toward a cliff, and it is irresponsible not to question Israeli policy and to decide what is best for the American people." More >>>

One has to question the reason for which a state has intelligence analysts. Presumably, it is to give their best analysis of a particular situation. In the case of Charles Freeman Jr, he appears to have one of the few clear views, inside the beltway, of the Israeli policies in the Middle East, however these apparently do not mesh with the objectives of the country. Editor.

Expert Sees U.S. Intelligence Testimony On Iran As 'Clarification'

Top U.S. intelligence officials told lawmakers in Washington this week that Iran has yet to decide whether to build a nuclear bomb.

March 11, 2009 - U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Lieutenant General Michael Maples, the director of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, say Iran currently lacks the weapons-grade, highly enriched uranium needed to build such a device.

Some observers say the testimony is a "clarification" of a recent statement by Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said he thought Iran had sufficient enriched uranium for a bomb. RFE/RL correspondent Ron Synovitz discusses the significance of the testimony with Shannon Kile, a nuclear-nonproliferation expert at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. More >>>

New opportunity arises for resolving Iranian nuclear issue

Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis VIENNA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A week-long meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s 35-nation board of governors dominated by the Iranian nuclear issue concluded here on Saturday.

In a joint statement issued at the meeting, six parities – the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany, expressed their readiness for direct dialogues with Iran for the first time, signaling new hope for solving the Iranian nuclear issue.

Solution Through Dialogues

The joint statement issued by the six parties on the Iranian nuclear issue on March 3 has three implications: supporting the IAEA to further play its role in solving the Iranian nuclear problem; urging Iran to actively cooperate with the IAEA on the issue, and resolving the dispute through diplomatic means.

In a speech last Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the IAEA TangGuoqiang said solving the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiations is facing a new opportunity. All parties concerned should continue to boost their diplomatic efforts and fully demonstrate flexibility in order to open dialogues and negotiations at an early date and to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the issue. More >>>

Politics of Missile Defence

Mar 08, 2009 - As India celebrates the third successful anti-missile test conducted off the Orissa coast on Friday, New Delhi might continue to have trouble managing the politics of missile defence at home and abroad.

Eight years ago, the external affairs minister Jaswant Singh surprised the world by embracing President George W Bush's controversial plan to accelerate the development and deployment of missiles that could shoot down other missiles, especially those armed with nuclear weapons. More >>>

Arms Experts Correct the Record on Iran Uranium Claims

March 2, 2009 - Experts at the nonpartisan Arms Control Association (ACA) urged senior U.S. officials and the media to exhibit greater care to accurately state what is known about Iran's nuclear capabilities.

The experts highlighted the confusion created over the weekend by inaccurate portrayals of the type of nuclear material Iran has produced which suggested that Tehran was closer to a nuclear weapon than public U.S. intelligence and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports indicate.

Responding to a question on CNN's "State of the Union" Mar. 1 regarding whether Iran has enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen stated "we think they do, quite frankly, and Iran having a nuclear weapon, I've believed for a long time, is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world."

The question was based on a Feb. 19 IAEA report which found that Iran has now stockpiled approximately 1010 kilograms of low-enriched uranium (LEU), an amount which, theoretically, could be enough to make material for a weapon if enriched further. The question confused this stockpile with fissile material, which is either highly-enriched uranium (HEU) or plutonium. LEU cannot be used in a nuclear weapon. More >>>

Prominent British Strategic Thinker Passes

Sir Michael Quinlan (1930—2009)

February 28, 2009 - It was with genuine and deep sadness that I learnt yesterday of the death of Sir Michael Quinlan, aged 78, on Thursday.

In a career within the UK civil service that spanned 40 years, Sir Michael served in a variety of roles and departments, including as Permanent Under-Secretary (the most senior civil servant) at the Ministries of Employment (1983—88) and Defence (1988—92). Indeed, defence was his primary interest and focus and he earned a reputation as one of the finest strategic thinkers in post War Britain, particularly on nuclear issues.

After “retiring”, Sir Michael became a more public voice on defence and security matters: first, as Director of the Ditchley Foundation (1992—99) and subsequently as a writer and academic. He wrote three books: European Defense Cooperation: Asset or Threat to NATO? (2001), Just War (with General Lord Guthrie, 2007) and Thinking About Nuclear Weapons: Principles, Problems, Prospects (2009). The last of these was published just two weeks ago. More >>>

The Independent Obituary