Nuclear Watchdog Says No Deal Reached with Iran
Alan Cowell / The New York Times
A senior official of the United Nations nuclear supervisory body said on Thursday that talks a day earlier in Iran had ended inconclusively and international inspectors had not been given access to a site which they suspect may have been used for testing bomb triggers.
North Korea likely to face tough unilateral sanctions for its nuke test, but will China join?
AP / The Washington Post
For the past decade, the world’s most powerful nations have turned to sanctions in an attempt to punish North Korea for a series of rocket launches and nuclear tests. Their stated goal: to stop North Korea’s march toward acquiring an arsenal of nuclear-armed long-range missiles.
Eurozone Recession Deepened at the End of 2012
BBC
The eurozone recession deepened in the final three months of 2012, official figures show. The economy of the 17 nations in the euro shrank by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, which was worse than forecast.
Hit Kim Jong Eun where it hurts: His wallet
Sung-Yoon Lee and Joshua Stanton / The Washington Post
North Korea’s nuclear test Tuesday has the makings of an epochal event — unless Washington and Seoul shape up and deal Kim Jong Eun’s regime a substantial, although nonmilitary, blow.
As Troops Leave, an Uncertain Future for U.S. Aid in Afghanistan
Richard W. Stevenson / The New York Times
It has given most of Afghanistan access to health care for the first time, even if it is weighed down by corruption and waste. It has drawn violent reprisals from the Taliban but educated a generation of Afghan girls.
Mali: Explosives Cache Raises Fears
AP / The New York Times
French soldiers recovered a stash of explosives on Wednesday that the authorities believed radical Islamic fighters were using to make bombs, a Malian military spokesman said.
UN Inspectors See New Centrifuges at Iran Nuclear Site: Diplomat
Reuters / The New York Times
U.N. nuclear inspectors have seen a small number of advanced centrifuges at an uranium enrichment plant where Iran has said it will install and operate them, a diplomatic source said on Thursday.
Obama: The Master of Disaster
Julliete Kayyem / The Boston Globe
Obama’s second term will be characterized by minimizing the impact of destructive events that can’t really be prevented any longer.
Russia to build world’s largest laser for thermonuclear reactions
Boris Pavlischev / The Voice of Russia
Russia’s authorities are planning to build the world’s most powerful laser device for fusion energy by 2020.
Iranian Reported Killed Near Syrian Border
Anne Barnard / The New York Times
At least one senior Iranian official was reported killed in an attack while driving from Syria to Lebanon on Wednesday, in separate and at times conflicting reports that drew attention to suspicions of Iran’s role in the Syrian civil war.
Nuclear Fusion: An Answer to China’s Energy Problems?
Olivia Boyd / China Dialogue
To maintain steady growth, China needs energy supplies for generations to come. China has ambitious plans to develop fusion energy.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Paddy Ashdown on Drones
BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.) / American Security Project
Lord Paddy Ashdown’s drone piece in the Times (of London) is, as the Brits like to say, “spot on.”
Mixed Signals Ahead of Iran Talks
Mitchell Freddura / American Security Project
On Wednesday officials from the IAEA are expected to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran in a renewed effort to resolve outstanding issues surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.
Update: Tracking North Korea’s Nuclear Test
Katharyn Nicolle and Magnus Newth / American Security Project
North Korea’s third nuclear test, conducted yesterday evening, has been met with widespread condemnation from the international community. This test, like the ones in 2006 and in 2009, is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Members of Congress Press the Issue of Adaptation
Danielle Parillo
In a letter sent on February 11th of this year, Democratic members of Congress urged President Obama to create a bipartisan blue ribbon panel that would create a “comprehensive program to help local communities prepare for the anticipated impacts of an increase in climate-related extreme weather events.”
New Report Links Climate Change and National Security
Justin Yarros
Scientists from the Harvard University Center for the Environment released a new report about the security dimensions of climate change.