Shadowboxing in the Gulf

Avoiding war with Iran may cost Obama the Jewish-American vote, and perhaps the presidency, writes Ayman El-Amir

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Iran's three-day military exercises in the southern Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed "the Greatest Prophet", were a defiant message to several Iran watchers.

The primary target is a response to escalating Israeli and US pressure and intimidation tactics. A secondary message to the Gulf Arab states is that Iran will be a tough nut to crack if it is attacked by either the US or Israel. It is capable of land and sea retaliation against US military bases and warships in the Gulf.

In a separate message, the Revolutionary Guard wanted to reignite Iranian patriotism weakened following the last parliamentary elections and the clashes they triggered. In times of crisis, nothing is more effective in rallying a nation than a show of military power in the face of external threats. Israeli-driven Western confrontation with Iran over its nuclear programme is becoming not only more complicated but militarily more uncertain. More >>>

New Power Generation for Pakistan

Pakistan Deal Signals China's Growing Nuclear Assertiveness
Mark Hibbs Nuclear Energy Brief, April 27, 2010

Contrary to guidelines adopted in 1992 by nuclear equipment supplier states in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), China is poised to export two power reactors to Pakistan. This transaction is about to happen at a time when China’s increasingly ambitious nuclear energy program is becoming more autonomous. Guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), representing 46 NPT states, call on parties to the NPT not to supply nuclear equipment to non–nuclear-weapon states without comprehensive IAEA safeguards, including Pakistan. China joined the NSG in 2004. More >>>

New Options For Kyrgyz Engagement on Energy Security in Central Asia

The recent coup in Kyrgyzstan came on the heels of the completion of the Asia Gas Pipeline in December 2009, a project that is unprecedented in scale and extent of collaboration among regional powers.

The coup is still causing reverberations throughout Central Asia -- a region increasingly dependent upon uninterrupted energy transit routes to China, Russia, and the West. Though it has no oil or natural gas, the now deposed President Bakiyev would have done well to leverage Kyrgyzstan’s strategic location to frame itself as a critically important transit route between oil-rich Kazakhstan and gas-rich Uzbekistan and their fastest growing customer- China. More >>>

IAEA defines nuclear security role after nuclear summit

The IAEA plans to play a big role in insuring that nuclear materials do not fall into the wrong hands. At the nuclear summit the world's leaders worked on a plan to make sure every one is on the same page.
With many nations looking to build more nuclear reactors to take advantage of safe nuclear power, the IAEA will play a key role globally.

There was just one problem. One of the biggest players was not there. Although Israel did send diplomats to the nuclear summit, Netanyahu did not show up. That's more politics than anything else.
The summit still managed to get a lot of things done. It would have been nice for Netanyahu to show his face, the middle east is a hot bed for nuclear materials proliferation and nuclear security threats. The nations at the nuclear summit missed a great chance to have a "group intervention" with Israel. More >>>

Obama secures 47-nation pact at nuclear summit

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - President Obama persuaded 46 countries Tuesday to sign on to a plan to put the world's nuclear material beyond the reach of terrorists within four years, but the commitments were voluntary, and experts said reaching the goal will be difficult.

The governments attending Obama's Nuclear Security Summit agreed to take their own measures to safeguard nuclear material used in bombs, civilian nuclear reactors and power plants, and to strengthen international efforts. The gathering raised the profile of an issue long considered a sideshow in discussions of international security. More >>>

Statement by European Statesmen Released to Coincide with Nuclear Summit

Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non_Proliferation

April 13 2010 - Today, 40 senior politicians, military figures and diplomats have jointly signed an unprecedented European statement highlighting the world’s growing nuclear dangers and calling for greater international efforts to address them.

Please click here to read the full statement from 40 senior European statesmen and women. The release of the statement coincides with the Nuclear Security Summit taking place on today in Washington DC.

Representing a range of political persuasions, this is a non-partisan scaling up of the European political presence in the international nuclear debate. It also signals the formation of a new European Leadership Network for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, designed to allow ongoing and coordinated European interventions on crucial nuclear issues. More >>>

VP Biden Welcomes Nuclear Summit Participants

Debate Goes Nuclear

A World Without Nuclear Weapons- Joe Cirincione

Iran announces nuclear summit

Iran has said it will host a nuclear disarmament conference later this month as part of an efforts to ease fears Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iranian officials announced the two-day conference, entitled "Nuclear energy for everyone, nuclear arms for no one", on Sunday.
Officials said that 60 countries had been invited to attend the meeting, which will run from April 17-18.
Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, said the conference aims to show that Tehran wants to promote nuclear disarmament while encouraging peaceful nuclear energy production. More >>>

Tribal zone of Pakistan needs $1bn in development funding

The volatile tribal zone of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, needs $1bn (£600m) in development funding from the international community to avoid it relapsing into a base for al-Qaida, the Pakistani general, Major General Tariq Khan, the head of the Frontier Corps in charge of forces in the area said today.

The $1bn would be spent repairing damage to roads, schools and other infrastructure, building new facilities to provide health and education for the population, and developing agriculture and industry. More >>>