A Hundred Holocausts: An Insider’s Window Into U.S. Nuclear Policy By Daniel Ellsberg

A Hundred Holocausts: An Insider’s Window Into U.S. Nuclear Policy
Posted on Sep 10, 2009
AP / Joseph Kaczmarek

Firestorms caused by thermonuclear weapons would be the major cause of fatalities. The radius of firestorm damage would be two to five times the radius destroyed by blast.

By Daniel Ellsberg

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090910_a_hundred_holocausts_an_insiders_window_into_us_nuclear_policy/

US to host UN summit on nuclear proliferation

US to host UN summit on nuclear proliferation
Washington (AFP) Sept 10, 2009 - The United States on September 24 will host a summit of UN Security Council member states on nuclear non-proliferation, the White House confirmed on Thursday. President Barack Obama is to chair the meeting, which will be held alongside the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. It will be the first time a US president leads such a summit and just the fifth in UN history that ... more

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_to_host_UN_summit_on_nuclear_proliferation_999.html

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: Iran offers plan to scrap nuclear weapons worldwide: media

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: Iran offers plan to scrap nuclear weapons worldwide: media

Iran offers plan to scrap nuclear weapons worldwide: media

Iran offers plan to scrap nuclear weapons worldwide: media
Washington (AFP) Sept 10, 2009 - Iran is proposing to set up an international system to scrap and prohibit nuclear weapons worldwide, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's senior adviser said in an interview published Thursday. Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi told The Washington Post that the Iranian package of proposals submitted Wednesday to the United States and other powers calls for the elimination of existing weapons and measures ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_offers_plan_to_scrap_nuclear_weapons_worldwide_media_999.html

Westinghouse is in talks to run nuclear-fuel operations site in U.K.

Westinghouse is in talks to run nuclear-fuel operations site in U.K.
Westinghouse Electric, Toshiba's nuclear power division, announced it is in discussions to manage the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's nuclear-fuel operations at Springfields in England. The agreement includes permanently turning over ownership of Springfields Fuel and signing a long-term lease once the existing site-management deal ends in March. The news comes as Toshiba seeks to concentrate on its international nuclear power business. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-200909...dist_smartbrief

Little progress in Syrian nuclear probe: UN official

Little progress in Syrian nuclear probe: UN official
Vienna, Austria (AFP) Aug 28, 2009 - The UN atomic watchdog has been unable to make much progress in its investigation into alleged illicit nuclear activities in Syria, a senior UN official said Friday. "There's not much progress, if anything," the official said in response to a new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on its probe into allegations that Damascus had been building a covert nuclear reactor at a remote ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Little_progress_in_Syrian_nuclear_probe_UN_official_999.html

Another Major Setback For A "Nuclear Renaissance"

Another Major Setback For A "Nuclear Renaissance"
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 31, 2009 - The so-called "nuclear renaissance" is finding few friends among state lawmakers in the United States. The nuclear power industry has been shut out across the board in 2009 in its efforts in all six states - ranging across the nation from Kentucky to Minnesota to Hawaii - where it sought to overturn what are either explicit or effectively bans on construction of new reactors, according to the no ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Another_Major_Setback_For_A_Nuclear_Renaissance_999.html

Former nuclear pariah India scours world for uranium

Former nuclear pariah India scours world for uranium
New Delhi (AFP) Sept 7, 2009 - Energy-starved India, armed with permission to buy atomic fuel from around the world after the end of a three-decade ban, is courting new partners alongside old friends in its global hunt for uranium. The strategy, spelt out in a government paper published last week, will see New Delhi reach out to Mongolia, Namibia and Kazakhstan besides traditional allies like Russia in its search for the ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Former_nuclear_pariah_India_scours_world_for_uranium_999.html

Arab states race for nuclear power

Arab states race for nuclear power
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Sep 9, 2009 - Amid the gathering storm over Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions, the race is on among Arab states to build nuclear power plants of their own, opening up immense trade opportunities for the industrialized world as well as the specter of proliferation. The United States, Britain, France and Russia are competing for contracts in the nuclear energy bonanza that is emerging in the ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Arab_states_race_for_nuclear_power_999.html

U.S. Urges World to Enforce Key North Korea Sanctions

U.S. Urges World to Enforce Key North Korea Sanctions
Mark Heinrich, Reuters
The United States pressed all nations on Tuesday to enforce toughened U.N. sanctions against North Korea, saying this was vital for any chance of getting it back onto the road toward nuclear disarmament.
Full Article
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5875CS20090908

The Emerging Axis of Iran and Venezuela

The Emerging Axis of Iran and Venezuela
Robert M. Morgenthau, The Wall Street Journal
Editor's Note: Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, who last April indicted a Chinese executive and his company for financing components of Iran's nuclear program, charges in this article that Venezuela has established a financial system to covertly help Iran avoid economic sanctions. He references this Carnegie Proliferation Analysis from December 2008 on Venezuela's pursuit of nuclear power.

The diplomatic ties between Iran and Venezuela go back almost 50 years and until recently amounted to little more than the routine exchange of diplomats. With the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, the relationship dramatically changed.
Full Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203440104574400792835972018.html

Iran 'Closer' to Nuclear Weapon

Iran 'Closer' to Nuclear Weapon
Glenn Kessler and Thomas Erdbrink, The Washington Post
Iran "is now either very near or in possession" of enough low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday, as he offered some of the toughest remarks by an Obama administration official on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090901701.html

Pentagon Checks Arsenal in Race for Nuclear Treaty

Pentagon Checks Arsenal in Race for Nuclear Treaty
Thom Shanker and Mark Landler, The New York Times
With the clock ticking on a year-end deadline, President Obama is pressing ahead with a top-to-bottom review of America’s nuclear weapons to see how much the arsenal can shrink, as his negotiators are racing to wrap up a major new strategic arms control treaty with Russia.
Full Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/world/09arms.html?_r=1

Missile Strategy Must Not Be Seen as a Retreat

Missile Strategy Must Not Be Seen as a Retreat
Tomas Valasek, Financial Times
There are mounting indications that Barack Obama will soon abandon plans to put missile defence bases in Poland and the Czech Republic. These have become one of the main bones of contention between Russia and the west. The Pentagon is tight-lipped about what, if anything, will replace the sites: US officials have hinted that new bases, built closer to Iran and – crucially – jointly with Russia, could follow.
Full Article
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d792e9ac-9ca5-11de-ab58-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fd792e9ac-9ca5-11de-ab58-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=

Deterring Safeguards Violations James M. Acton, Policy Outlook

Deterring Safeguards Violations
James M. Acton, Policy Outlook
NPTThe international community's inability to respond quickly and effectively to safeguards violations is the principal weakness of the nonproliferation regime today. At the upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010, member states should address this problem by recognizing that safeguards non-compliance constitutes a violation of the NPT, according to a new policy outlook by James Acton.
Full Article
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23800&prog=zgp&proj=znpp


Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: A Debate
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22748

The Problem with Nuclear Mind Reading
James M. Acton
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22745

Expert: Countries should consider nuclear to meet emission targets

Expert: Countries should consider nuclear to meet emission targets
Countries that fail to allocate funds for nuclear energy because of finances or politics are likely to fall short of emissions goals and be passed over for investment as firms construct facilities elsewhere, said Hans-Holger Rogner, an expert with the International Atomic Energy Agency. This comes after the agency raised its nuclear power forecasts for 2030, with Asian countries expected to lead that growth. Having other options to curb emissions is necessary while renewable-energy technologies are being improved, Rogner added. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE58838Q20090909

Arab states race for nuclear power

Middle Eastern countries look to nuclear energy to fuel economies
The U.S., U.K., France and Russia are racing to secure nuclear-construction contracts from Middle Eastern countries that are moving to produce more power to sustain their flourishing economies. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last year signed preliminary deals with the U.S. for nuclear technology. Saudi Arabia announced it is working on proposals to build its first nuclear plant, while the UAE projects its first facility to be operational by 2015. United Press International
http://www.upi.com/Energy_Resources/2009/09/09/Arab-states-race-for-nuclear-power/UPI-19541252514795/

Iran steps up to the nuclear table

Iran steps up to the nuclear table

Tehran has presented the "Iran Six" nations with new proposals that Iran's foreign minister calls a "new opportunity for dialogue" with the West. Although the contents are still confidential, Iranian officials hint that for the first time security and economic cooperation will be discussed alongside the ongoing nuclear stalemate. Whether Washington takes this as an honorable detente or a delaying tactic will be key to upcoming talks. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Sep 10, '09)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KI11Ak03.html

Gates Urges Arabs to Strengthen Military Ties with Eye to Iran

Gates Urges Arabs to Strengthen Military Ties with Eye to Iran
Agence France-Presse
Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged US allies in the Arab world to strengthen their military capabilities and defense cooperation with Washington as a means of pressuring Iran to back off its nuclear program.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5htTdBzcGSVUp-sbhOQWlEqWPE-uA

* Al Jazeera Interview: Robert Gates
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/09/200995202939732522.html

Nuclear Agency Said to Be in 'Stalemate' with Iran
Robert F. Worth, The New York Times
ElBaradeiThe head of the United Nations nuclear oversight agency said Monday that his organization was in a "stalemate" with Iran over its nuclear program, just after the Iranian president affirmed once again that his country would not stop uranium enrichment or negotiate over its nuclear rights.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the group's 35-nation board that Iran had not stopped enriching uranium or answered lingering questions about its nuclear program.
Full Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/world/middleeast/08iran.html?hp

* Iranian Invites Six Powers to Tehran
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/07/AR2009090701393.html

* Indian firms may announce foreign partner in nuclear-energy project

Indian firms may announce foreign partner in nuclear-energy project
India's Bharat Heavy Electricals and Nuclear Power are expected to name a foreign partner for their project to construct nuclear plants in the country. The partner will likely be offered about 30% equity, but the terms are under discussion, Bharat Chairman K. Ravi Kumar said. This comes as Bharat agreed last year to strike a deal with the country's sole nuclear-energy producer for engineering, building and procurement services.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=af3xM2sRXcaE

Official: U.S.-China climate discussions could cover nuclear energy

Official: U.S.-China climate discussions could cover nuclear energy
Climate-change discussions between the U.S. and China may include collaboration over nuclear-energy technologies such as reactors, which emit less heat and gas than traditional power plants, said David Sandalow, an official with the U.S. Energy Department. Nuclear is an "important part of the solution to the global warming problem" and could become the focus in future talks with China, Sandalow added. Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=ac1Tmwz3cCek

A.Q. KHAN DISCUSSES PAKISTAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

A.Q. KHAN DISCUSSES PAKISTAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Pakistan was ready to test a nuclear weapon just six years after it first began to enrich uranium, according to A.Q. Khan, the architect of the Pakistani nuclear program and an infamous proliferator of nuclear weapons designs and technology.

"It was 6 April 1978 when we achieved our first centrifugal enrichment of uranium," Khan recalled in a chatty, wide-ranging interview with Pakistani television (pdf) last week. "We had achieved 90 percent [enrichment] by early 1983."

"I wrote a letter to General Zia on 10 December 1984, telling him that the weapon was ready and that we could detonate it on a notice of one week," Khan said.

In addition to a timeline for the Pakistani nuclear weapons program, the Khan interview http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/aqkhan-083109.pdf, discusses the costs and logistics involved, and his successful efforts to evade export controls. "They could not outmaneuver us, as we remained a step ahead always," he said.

The interview also provides "interesting information about Pakistan's supply chains, which he says were the same for Iran and Libya as well," said Ivanka Barzashka, an FAS researcher who is studying the proliferation of centrifuge technology.

The interview with A.Q. Khan, who was recently released from house arrest, was broadcast in Karachi on August 31. It was helpfully translated from the Urdu by the DNI Open Source Center. The translated interview has not been publicly released, but a copy was obtained by Secrecy News. See "Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Discusses Nuclear Program in TV Talk Show," Aaj News Television, August 31, 2009.

Iran says it has developed stealth missile interceptor system

Iran says it has developed stealth missile interceptor system

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3772910,00.html

IAEA: We've reached stalemate with Iran

IAEA: We've reached stalemate with Iran

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3773167,00.html