Iran threatens Israel; new EU sanctions take force

Yeganeh Torbati / Reuters

Iran announced missile tests on Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions.

 

Kim Jong-il ordered mass production of uranium bombs

Yonhap

North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-il had ordered his officials to mass-produce nuclear bombs by using highly enriched uranium, Japanese news reports said Monday, citing an internal document obtained from Pyongyang.

 

Arms trade treaty negotiations begin, Syria casts shadow

Louis Charbonneau / Reuters

Delegates from around the world gather in New York on Monday for the start of month-long U.N.-hosted negotiations to hammer out the first-ever binding treaty to regulate the global weapons market, valued at more than $60 billion a year.

 

Syria conference leaves open Assad question

Associated Press

An international conference on Saturday accepted a U.N.-brokered peace plan for Syria, but left open the key question of whether the country’s president could be part of a transitional government.

 

Mexico’s former ruling party voted back to office

Mark Stevenson and Katherine Corcoran / Associated Press
The party that ruled Mexico with a tight grip for most of the last century has sailed back into power, promising a government that will be modern, responsible and open to criticism.

 

Iran drafts bill to block Hormuz for Gulf oil tankers

Yeganeh Torbati and Daniel Fineren / Reuters

Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted a bill calling for Iran to try to stop oil tankers from shipping crude through the Strait of Hormuz to countries that support sanctions against it, a committee member said on Monday.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Rio+20: Lessons Learned or Missed Opportunities?

Catherine Foley

The Rio+20 Earth Summit was labeled a “failure” before it began due to the watered down language in the conference paper. Despite this, the leaders at Rio+20 made a few positive steps forward but also missed a few key opportunities.

 

Does Peak Oil Really Matter?

Matthew Baker

A technological revolution is catalyzing a new era in oil. We must now be asking at what point do oil production costs exceed marketability.

 

A New Nuclear Control Regime

Derek Bolton

Lodal and Burt’s proposals address a key area of concern within the NPT regime and displays some of the innovative thinking that is required to motivate actors to action. However such a bold initiative, while needed, may face stiffer opposition and complications than expected.

 

Investing in Biofuels: Strengthening our Military’s Energy Security

LtGen John Castellaw

In this Special Guest blog post, LtGen John Castellaw describes the long term strategic risks due to the military’s dependence on petroleum- based fuels.

 

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

 

For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.or