[GANA] / Nuclear_Weapons_Future - Oct., Nov., Dec. 2006 - archive

Message from Hibakusha in Japan to the People of the United States

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Hidankyo: "Subject: [abolition-caucus] FW: Hidankyo Message

Message from Hibakusha in Japan to the People of the United States

August 2006

On behalf of the 260,000 Japanese Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, we extend our warmest greetings of solidarity to the people of the United States who have been working for peace.

We experienced the atrocity of the A-bomb hell. We have seen a number of A-bomb victims die in agony and pain. Also, the agony would last until their death with a possibility of being inherited to their children and grandchildren. We would like you to take this opportunity to listen to Hibakusha's testimonies.

9.11 claimed many citizens' lives and brought the United States to deep grief. We cordially express our deep condolences to the victims and our heartfelt sympathy to those who have lost their loved ones. We believe that you are in favor of hatred of violence as we are. However, we cannot share the thought of "retaliation".

We, the survivors of the Atomic bomb, are living witnesses of one of the most devastating crimes against humanity through history. However, we have never thought of "retaliation". We have always insisted "no more Hibakusha", and passed our experience down to younger generations. Today, we are here to tell you the same thing...."

Hidankyo Message in Japanese: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/Hidankyo-J.doc

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Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba- City of Hiroshima Peace Declaration Aug 6

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor- The City of Hiroshima: "PEACE DECLARATION

August 6, 2006

Radiation, heat, blast and their synergetic effects created a hell on Earth. Sixty-one years later, the number of nations enamored of evil and enslaved by nuclear weapons is increasing. The human family stands at a crossroads. Will all nations be enslaved? Or will all nations be liberated? This choice poses another question. Is it acceptable for cities, and especially the innocent children who live in them, to be targeted by nuclear weapons?

The answer is crystal clear, and the past sixty-one years have shown us the path to liberation...."

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"Political Will","Good Faith", and a nuclear framework convention

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Aaron Tovish, Manager, 2020 Vision Campaign Mayors for Peace: ""Political Will","Good Faith", and a nuclear framework convention

It has become common place to hear that the deadlock in the multilateral nuclear disarmament arena could be solved if countries only would muster the 'political will' to do so. While this is not false, it is only partially true.

'Political will' carries the connotation of 'free will' and thus the notion that action and inaction are options of potentially equal weight on the scales of judgment. In some settings that image is applicable and accurate. In the nuclear disarmament arena it is misleading and, in the hands of the nuclear-armed states disingenuous.

Since, as the International Court of Justice unanimously found ten years ago, there is a legal obligation "to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects," inaction and action are not in any sense equal; the scales of justice have come down decisively on the side of action. Inaction is illegal...."

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Cities seek 'Negative Security Assurances'

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:10:00 GMT

Mayors for Peace: "Cities seek 'Negative Security Assurances'

In the Council Chamber of the City of The Hague on July 5, 2006, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, President of Mayors for Peace, announced a new, special project of the 2020 Vision Campaign: the Cities Are Not Targets project. The objective of this project is to elicit from the nuclear-armed states assurances that they have explicitly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in lethal proximity of cities. It thus has much in common with the assurances that states in nuclear-weapon-free zones expect from the nuclear-weapon states...."

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Conflict in the Middle-East: a concern of Mayors for Peace

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 06:00:00 GMT

The association Mayors for Peace: "The association Mayors for Peace wishes to express its profoundest concern regarding the situation currently prevailing in the Middle-East, where cities and civilians are deeply affected by the hostilities.

Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace, calls for an immediate ceasefire and an urgent dialogue so that affected populations may live in peace, harmony, and justice.

On behalf of the Executive Cities of Mayors for Peace, Dr. Akiba declared:

"Cities Are Not Targets!" The bombardment of cities and towns in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine with artillery, rockets, and bombs is unconscionable. The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens are being destroyed. Hundreds have been killed, thousands wounded, many just children. With excessive and indiscriminate firepower, military action has lost all sense of proportion. Continued armed conflict cannot be condoned. There must be an immediate ceasefire.

"Everyone wants and deserves to live in dignity and security. The overriding imperative is to promote a dialogue among all people in the region. Retaliation must be foresworn; reconciliation must be the touchstone. Peace is possible even now."...."

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Nagasaki Peace Declaration

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 18:00:00 GMT

Iccho Itoh, Mayor of Nagasaki: "Nagasaki Peace Declaration

"What can people possibly be thinking?"

At the close of the 61st year following the atomic bombings, voices of anger and frustration are echoing throughout the city of Nagasaki.

At 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, a single atomic bomb destroyed our city, instantly claiming the lives of 74,000 people and injuring 75,000 more. People were burned by the intense heat rays and flung through the air by the horrific blast winds. Their bodies bathed in mordant radiation, many of the survivors continue to suffer from the after-effects even today. How can we ever forget the anguished cries of those whose lives and dreams were so cruelly taken from them?

And yet, some 30,000 nuclear weapons stand ready nonetheless to annihilate humanity...."

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TFF Open Letter to UN General Assembly

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:00:00 GMT

The board of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF, Sweden: "Open Letter

To the President of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Jan Eliasson

Lund, Sweden - August 14, 2006

The board of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF, Sweden sends the following Open Letter that aims to stimulate a wider discussion about the preconditions for a genuine peace process also after UN Security Council Resolution 1701...."

"...Uniting for Peace

The history of this conflict makes it abundantly clear that violence on either side stands no chance of alleviating the suffering on all sides. If continuing, it will have devastating consequences for global security. A comprehensive, all-inclusive process built on dialogue, civilian initiatives and modern conflict-resolution is the only road to peace and justice.

While there are sincere efforts by some governments to end the carnage on both sides of the border, there have been serious delays in achieving an armistice in the Israeli-Lebanese confrontation. Unfortunately, yet again the UN Security Council has been victim of deliberate procrastination. At the same time the tragedy in Palestine remains all-pervasive and conditions in Iraq have deteriorated further.

In light of this, we call upon the President of the UN General Assembly to initiate preparations for a Uniting-for-Peace-resolution in order to urgently begin the long road towards human security, conflict-resolution, justice and reconciliation throughout the region...."

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Nuclear Weapons - Los Alamos - Environmental Impact

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:00:00 GMT

Willem Malten: "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The DOE and NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration) came up with a SWEIS -- a Side Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the new mission at LANL, which will effectively transform the Labs into a Nuclear Bomb Factory, eventually churning out 120 or even 200 new pits per year. This 1600 page document talks about how to handle and clean up all the waste and contamination that will be generated -- as if Los Alamos has had a spotless record thus far and we should just trust their ability.

I am not going to read it --it is a macabre sideshow --like talking about reducing the smoke from the ovens of Auschwitz.

The environment I am concerned with --never even mentioned in the SWEIS-- is the psychic environment that goes together with the manufacture of Weapons of Mass Destruction. I am talking about the denial of any sort of future for our children and what that does to them. Is it a coincidence that New Mexico has the highest suicide rate among juveniles ?...."

"....When over 80% of the American public has expressed a desire for nuclear disarmament and yet, the US national laboratories such as LANL in Los Alamos and Sandia laboratory in Albuquerque --both in New Mexico, keep pursuing renewed testing, upgrading nuclear weapons, and building a new pit production factory --there is something seriously wrong. It illustrates that that the sheer magnitude of nuclear weapons and everything that comes with it, such as research, production, contamination, security, etc., is incompatible with a functioning democracy --and that democracy may have to be rebuilt from the bottom up. Neighborhoods, communities and cities are now the vehicles that express the peoples will and have to represent the changes we are seeking. True security and democracy comes from a stronger sense of community, from getting closer. This is why it is significant that Santa Fe is about to adopt a second resolution against pit production in Los Alamos and in favor of strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other disarmament treaties. Being a City of Peace and Holy Faith (Santa Fe) at this point means to resist the Weapons of Mass Destruction Facility called LANL on a mesa nearby. The people of the world are watching and wondering if We the People are up to the task. My friends Let's take courage: It started here, Let's stop it here."

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PREVENTING A NUCLEAR 9/11: WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:00:00 GMT

David Krieger, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation: "PREVENTING A NUCLEAR 9/11: WHAT WILL IT TAKE?...."

"....In the September/October 2006 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Harvard University professor Graham Allison discusses a "nuclear 9/11" and concludes that "a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States is more likely than not in the decade ahead." Allison underlines this assessment by pointing out that former US Defense Secretary William Perry thinks that he (Allison) underestimates the risk, and that former Senator Sam Nunn, currently chair of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, thinks that the risk of a nuclear detonation by terrorists on US soil is higher today than the risk of nuclear war at the height of the Cold War. It is the failure by the majority of US policymakers to recognize and adequately respond to this threat that Allison refers to in the title of his article, "The ongoing failure of imagination." ...."

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IPB's MacBride Peace Prize 2006 Awarded to Mayors for Peace Campaign

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 10:00:00 GMT

International Peace Bureau: "PRESS COMMUNIQUE

For further information, call: Colin Archer +41-79-240-7017, or

Laura Lodenius tel: +358-9-142915, Fax: +358-9-147297, laura.lodenius@rauhanliitto.fi

IPB's MacBride Peace Prize 2006 Awarded to Mayors for Peace Campaign

Helsinki, September 1, 2006. The International Peace Bureau announced today the winners of its 2006 MacBride Peace Prize. It will be awarded to the Mayors for Peace organisation, founded and led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The ceremony will take place in Helsinki at 15.45 on Friday Sept 8th, within the framework of the IPB's Triennial Conference (Sept 7-10, see programme at www.ipb.org). The venue is the Old Student House, Mannerheimintie 3*. Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima will receive the medal on behalf of Mayors for Peace. At a second ceremony, Mayor Iccho Itoh of Nagasaki will receive the MacBride Prize in Nagasaki in October 2006...."

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Central Asia: Towards a Nuclear-Free World

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:00:00 GMT

IAEA Staff Report: "Regional Leaders Sign Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty

...Leaders from five Central Asia States - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - met this month to sign a treaty creating a nuclear-weapon-free-zone (NWFZ) in the region. The treaty was signed 8 September in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan - one of the former Soviet nuclear-weapon test sites that was closed in 1996. Mr. Yuri Sokolov, IAEA Deputy Director General, represented the IAEA as an observer at the signing ceremony...."

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Emerging from the nuclear shadow

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:00:00 GMT

DAISAKU IKEDA, Special to The Japan Times: ".."At any given moment in history, precious few voices are heard crying out for justice. But, now more than ever, those voices must rise above the din of violence and hatred."..

These are the memorable words of Dr. Joseph Rotblat, who for many years led the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a global organization working for peace and for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Rotblat passed away last year in August, the month that marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was 96. In the final phase of his life, he consistently voiced his strong sense of foreboding about the chronic lack of progress toward nuclear disarmament and the growing threat of nuclear proliferation.

The startling development of military technology has entirely insulated acts of war from human realities and feelings. In an instant, irreplaceable lives are lost and beloved homelands reduced to ruin. The anguished cries of victims and their families are silenced or ignored. Within this vast system of violence -- at the peak of which are poised nuclear weapons -- humans are no longer seen as embodiments of life. They are reduced to the status of mere things...."

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Gandhi planned a mission to fight and outlaw the bomb -- Einstein's theory of satyagraha.

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:00:00 GMT

B.R. Nanda, (published before in the Indian Express): "September 11, 1906, was a momentous date in the life of Gandhiji - and in human history. It was on this day, while engaged in an unequal struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa, he discovered or rather stumbled upon an alternative to armed resistance for fighting against injustice and oppression...."

"...How significant September 11 was for humankind comes through in a conversation between Albert Einstein and Jawaharlal Nehru in the United States in 1949. Soon after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing in 1945, the Mahatma had questioned Nehru on the atom bomb. In Nehru's words, "with deep human compassion loading his gentle eyes," he remarked that this wanton destruction had confirmed his faith in God and non-violence, and that "now he realised the full significance of the holy mission for which God had created him and armed him with the mantra of non-violence". Nehru recalled later that, as Gandhi uttered these words, he had resolved then and there to make it his mission to fight and outlaw the bomb...."

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118 countries back Iran's nuclear program

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:00:00 GMT

(IRNA) in tehrantimes.com: "HAVANA (IRNA) - Member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) issued a separate statement supporting Iran's nuclear program at the end of their 14th summit on Saturday night in Havana.

They stressed that the resumption of unconditional talks was the only solution to Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West. Following is the full text of the statement of the 118-nation body:

"1- The heads of State or Government reiterated their principled position on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation reflected in the Final document of XIV Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Havana, Cuba from 11-16 September 2006. They considered the developments regarding the implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"2- The Heads of State and Government reaffirmed the basic inalienable right of all states, to develop research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes without any discrimination and in conformity with their respective legal obligations. Therefore, nothing should be interpreted in a way as inhibiting or restricting this right of States to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes. They furthermore, reaffirmed that States choices and decisions in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and its fuel cycle policies must be respected...."

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International Panel on Fissile Materials releases first Global Fissile Material Report

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:00:00 GMT

International Panel on Fissile Materials: "The International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM), a group of independent nuclear experts from 15 countries, will release its first annual report in Ottawa, Canada on September 27, 2006. The Global Fissile Material Report 2006 summarizes the best available information on global stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and plutonium, the key nuclear-weapons materials, and discusses initiatives to secure and to sharply reduce and consolidate them. The report is (also available) at the IPFM website, www.fissilematerials.org...."

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Visions for Security - IAEA Bulletin Volume 48, No. 1

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:05:00 GMT

IAEA: "

Visions for Security "

Today, the road to security is a cross-cutting interchange of paths and approaches. The IAEA travels these paths everyday through its global reach. In this edition of the IAEA Bulletin, contributors offer their views on ways to move ahead. They don't always agree on which way to go, but they do agree on the urgency of going forward...."

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Annan on CTBT

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:30:00 GMT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan: "I welcome the launching of the Third Joint Ministerial Statement of support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty on this, the 10th anniversary of the treaty's opening for signature.

Each additional signature of this treaty will bring the world closer to achieving its longstanding goal of outlawing all nuclear tests, thereby advancing both nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Far-reaching verification provisions under the Treaty will contribute to ensuring full compliance with the test ban...."

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United Nations General Assembly on Nuclear weapons and Disarmament

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 22:50:00 GMT

FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign foesyd4@ihug.com.au: "United Nations Secretary General

H.E. Mr. Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General

September 19, 2006

"And people in all parts of the world are threatened - though some are more aware of it than others - by the spread of weapons of mass destruction. It is shameful that last year's Summit Outcome does not contain even one word about non-proliferation and disarmament - basically because states could not agree which of the two should be given priority. It is high time to end this dispute, and tackle both tasks with the urgency they demand."..."

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Panel_discussion_about_the_Reliable_Replacement_Warhead_(RRW)_program

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 19:30:00 GMT

Greg Mello * Los Alamos Study Group:

"For Immediate Release

September 29, 2006

NNSA, Lockheed Host "Academic" Panel Discussion at UNM of New Nuclear Warheads and "Responsive" Manufacturing Plants

Entire panel works for, or is otherwise tied to, NNSA, labs -- all other voices excluded

"Academic" event hosted by UNM "office" funded entirely by Lockheed

Contact: Greg Mello 505-265-1200

Albuquerque -- Today, September 29, 2006, from 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm at the Student Union Building (SUB) on the University of New Mexico (UNM) main campus in Albuquerque in Santa Ana rooms A and B, there will be a panel discussion about the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The event is sponsored by the UNM Office for Policy, Security, and Technology (OPST), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Women in International Security (WIIS). Details can be found at http://www.unm.edu/%7Eopst/events.html.

Greg Mello, Study Group Director: "The goal of today's discussion, from the perspective of those paying for it, has nothing whatsoever to do with its technical or policy content. What is being attempted is to harness the academic thirst for prestige to create a facade of legitimacy for U.S. weapons of mass destruction programs, which are now in political and financial trouble."...."

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Fear of nuclear war increases the risk of common mental disorders

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:00:00 GMT

Kari Poikolainen, Terhi Aalto-Setala, Annamari Tuulio-Henriksson, Mauri Marttunen and Jouko Lonnqvist in BioMed Central Public Health: "Research article

Fear of nuclear war increases the risk of common mental disorders...."

"....Background

Risks of war and terrorism are threatening our health, both directly in actual life and also indirectly by the forms of entertainment. How does this affect mental health? Earlier during the cold war period, fear of war was found to be common among adolescents, and more prevalent among girls than boys (1-5). Little is known about the influence of fear of war on mental health of adolescents. On one hand, it has been argued that worrying about nuclear war is related to positive aspects of mental health (6). On the other, fear of nuclear war has been found to associate with several measures of psychological distress in cross-sectional studies (4,7-9). To our knowledge, no follow-up studies have been published. However, high perceived risk of nuclear war might be related not only to transient psychological distress but also to more long-term mental disorder among vulnerable adolescents. We have followed up a cohort of adolescents first studied during the period of increasing international tension before the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War in January 17, 1991, and report here on the relation between fear of nuclear war at that time and incident common mental disorders five years later.... "

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International Law and Nuclear Weapons - Project to return to the ICJ

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:00:00 GMT

George Farebrother, World Court Project UK:

"International Physicians for the Prevention of NuclearWar, Abolition2000 Europe

International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, InternationalPeace Bureau

InternationalNetwork of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility

In 1996 the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court in the world, confirmed that all states are legally obliged to pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.

"Good Faith" means negotiating sincerely and flexibly to achieve the desired result - global nuclear disarmament. The objective should be pursued consistently with real political will. The conclusion should be reached with all deliberate speed and the parties must avoid policies which contradict the very purpose of the negotiations.

How are the nuclear-armed states measuring up to the Good Faith Obligation? Not very well it seems. Instead they:

+ aim to keep their nuclear weapons indefinitely,

+ maintain or expand the role of nuclear weapons,

+ reject stringent verification of nuclear arms reductions,

+ fail to make all reductions irreversible,

+ refuse even to begin nuclear disarmament negotiations.

Therefore we are planning to ask the judges whether the nuclear states are complying with their Good Faith obligation and to explain what compliance would require. We believe this will bring more legal pressure on the minority of states with nuclear weapons to keep their promise to work towards a world free from the menace of nuclear weapons.

This will be an exciting project; and a demanding one. It will need the support of citizens worldwide...."

Black and White printable version (Note: size is A4 _Not_ smaller)

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Public Hearing on the Future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 14 September 2006

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 21:40:00 GMT

Abolition 2000 Europe: "

Public Hearing on the Future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 14 September 2006

Posted by Abolition, 14th Sep 2006 | Category: Treaties and Parliaments News

MEPs heard on Thursday from a variety of experts, EU officials and civil society representatives on the threats facing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The public hearing, organised by the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, addressed both the general prospects for non-proliferation as well as the specific threat to the NPT regime by Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Speeches (.doc or .pdf files):

Janet Bloomfield, Annalisa Giannella, Dr. Pierre Goldschmidt, Dr Bernd

W. Kubbig, Lars-Erik Lundin, Prof. William C. Potter, Dr Stephen Pullinger, Dr Bruno Tertrais

The NPT "reflects a world that no longer exists," said Lars-Erik Lundin, Head of Unit and Deputy Political Director of security policy at the European Commission. According to Dr Bruno Tertrais, of the French foundation for strategic research, the deficiencies of the treaty include an "exceedingly permissive" withdrawal clause, and a "dubious distinction between civilian and military applications of nuclear technology."...."

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Australian peace groups -- Press Release on North Korea

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 08:00:00 GMT

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA, PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT: "IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 OCT 2006

MISGUIDED POLICIES OF CONFRONTATION MAKE DPRK NUKE TEST INEVITABLE

Misguided policies of confrontation have made the nuclear test promised by the DPRK inevitable, say Australian peace groups. A policy of threats and confrontation - on either side - is unhelpful in the highest degree, and will only escalate the crisis. What is needed now, and has been needed all along is a complete change in the nature of the relationship between the DPRK and the United States. A harder and harder line on either side will merely lead the DPRK to increase the efforts it makes to obtain nuclear weapons and more nuclear weapons, and to improve its delivery capability...."

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Full text of statement by N. Korea on nuclear test plan

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Kyodo News: "Full text of statement by N. Korea on nuclear test plan

(Kyodo) _ The following is the full text of a statement issued by the North Korean Foreign Ministry and carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday on the North's potential plan to conduct a nuclear test...."

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North Korea says nuclear test successful

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:00:00 GMT

BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer: "SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Monday it had performed its first nuclear weapons test, an underground explosion that defied international warnings but was hailed by the communist nation as a "great leap forward" for its people.

The reported test drew harsh rebuke from North Korea's neighbors. The U.N. Security Council was expected to discuss North Korea on Monday, and the United States and Japan were likely to press for a resolution imposing additional sanctions.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it had recorded a magnitude-4.2 seismic event in northeastern North Korea. Australia and South Korea also said there was seismic confirmation that pointed to a nuclear test. A top Russian military officer confirmed the device tested by North Korea was a nuclear weapon, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported...."

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All Nine Nuclear Powers Are Violating Non-Proliferation Treaty

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Scott Galindez, Managing Editor of Truthout:

"Monday 09 October 2006

As North Korea becomes the eighth confirmed nuclear power (Israel is not confirmed but considered the ninth) some of the blame has to go to the original five nuclear powers. When the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty went into effect in 1970, the five countries who had nuclear bombs - the US, France, China, Great Britain, and the USSR - agreed to work to reduce and eventually eliminate their nuclear arsenals.

Now, 36 years later, no disarmament talks are taking place between those countries. North Korea has been a "threshold" country since the late 80s. The fall of the Soviet Union eliminated shared security arrangements and prompted North Korea to aggressively pursue a nuclear weapon.

The Clinton administration, recognizing the threat, entered into an agreement with North Korea to provide reactors for peaceful use in exchange for an end to the weapons program. In 2003, North Korea announced they were leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty and reconstituting its weapons program, citing US failure to deliver the reactors.

North Korea's joining the list of nations with nuclear weapons is a sad day for our world. As was the day that the United States became the first nuclear power, and the Soviet Union the second, etc.- As long as one country possesses the ability to annihilate another it is only natural for those without that power to seek it...."

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North Korea Nuclear Weapon Test - Mayors for Peace Letter of Protest

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:05:00 GMT

The Conference of Mayors for Peace:

"His Excellency Kim Jong-Il

Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Letter of Protest

Though the Mayors for Peace, which consists of cities around the world, A-bomb survivor organizations, and many cities and organizations asked you to refrain, you selfishly proceeded with your nuclear test. We are outraged and, on behalf of the 1,430 cities in 120 countries and regions that are members of Mayors for Peace, we vehemently protest.

The fact that you conducted this test even as the international community was working so hard to find peaceful resolutions to your problems is intolerable. We gravely fear that your action will stimulate the expansion and proliferation of nuclear arms, creating an irreversible threat to world peace and stability.

We urge you to listen conscientiously to the survivor message that "nuclear weapons are an absolute evil that can potentially extinguish the human species," and immediately abandon all your nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons programs. We further urge you to engage constructively in the six-party talks on the nuclear issue, return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), develop diplomatic efforts that do not rely on nuclear deterrence, and fulfill your legal obligation to negotiate in good faith toward global nuclear disarmament....."

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JIMMY CARTER -- Solving the Korean Stalemate, One Step at a Time

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:00:00 GMT

JIMMY CARTER:

"October 11, 2006

Op-Ed Contributor

Solving the Korean Stalemate, One Step at a Time

By JIMMY CARTER

ATLANTA

IN 1994 the North Koreans expelled inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and were threatening to process spent nuclear fuel into plutonium, giving them the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

With the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula, there was a consensus that the forces of South Korea and the United States could overwhelmingly defeat North Korea. But it was also known that North Korea could quickly launch more than 20,000 shells and missiles into nearby Seoul. The American commander in South Korea, Gen. Gary Luck, estimated that total casualties would far exceed those of the Korean War.

Responding to an invitation from President Kim Il-sung of North Korea, and with the approval of President Bill Clinton, I went to Pyongyang and negotiated an agreement under which North Korea would cease its nuclear program at Yongbyon and permit inspectors from the atomic agency to return to the site to assure that the spent fuel was not reprocessed. It was also agreed that direct talks would be held between the two Koreas.

The spent fuel (estimated to be adequate for a half-dozen bombs) continued to be monitored, and extensive bilateral discussions were held. The United States assured the North Koreans that there would be no military threat to them, that it would supply fuel oil to replace the lost nuclear power and that it would help build two modern atomic power plants, with their fuel rods and operation to be monitored by international inspectors. The summit talks resulted in South Korean President Kim Dae-jung earning the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his successful efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula.

But beginning in 2002, the United States branded North Korea as part of an axis of evil, threatened military action, ended the shipments of fuel oil and the construction of nuclear power plants and refused to consider further bilateral talks. In their discussions with me at this time, North Korean spokesmen seemed convinced that the American positions posed a serious danger to their country and to its political regime.

Responding in its ill-advised but predictable way, Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, expelled atomic energy agency inspectors, resumed processing fuel rods and began developing nuclear explosive devices...."

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Blue Banner statement in connection with DPRK's nuclear test

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:00:00 GMT

Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan enkhee53@yahoo.com: "Blue Banner, Mongolian non-governmental organization committed to promoting non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, expresses its strong opposition to the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on 9 October. It considers this act as gravely undermining confidence and stability on the Korean peninsula and in North-East Asia, that could trigger a dangerous nuclear arms race in the region and well beyond it. The test also represents a setback for NPT and further weakens both the non-proliferation regime and the cause of nuclear disarmament. The Blue Banner fully supports the calls on DPRK to immediately cease all further nuclear testing and development of nuclear weapons, rejoin the six party talks and honor its commitments undertaken by the North-South denuclearization declaration and other subsequent international agreements reached with its direct participation

At the same time the Blue Banner believes that a broader approach to non-proliferation needs to be taken to successfully address this and similar threats. Non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament are complimentary and mutually reinforcing. That forms the basis of the NPT regime. Emphasis only on non-proliferation is futile without tangible progress in nuclear disarmament. As long as nuclear-weapon states themselves continue to pursue policies relying on nuclear weapons, as long as there is hypocrisy and double standard, it is inevitable that others would question the utility of non-proliferation and some even be tempted to possess nuclear weapons as symbol of power or "insurance policy". Therefore nuclear-weapon states need honor their commitment made 36 years ago under article VI of NPT to pursue negotiations in good faith leading to nuclear disarmament and their 1995 unequivocal undertaking to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. Without setting a good example themselves, it is difficult for the nuclear-weapon states to take the moral high ground in preventing nuclear proliferation, or expect the Security Council, where they have permanent seats and veto power, to be seen as an organ that can objectively deal with non-compliance of states with their NPT commitments...."

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Appeal on the nuclear weapon test by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:05:00 GMT

The Committee of Seven for the Appeals on the World Peace: "

Appeal on the nuclear weapon test by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

The Committee of Seven for the Appeals on the World Peace

Kodi Husimi, Kinhide Mushakouji, Hideo Tsuchiyama,

Yoshino Oishi, Hisashi Inoue, Kayoko Ikeda, Michiji Konuma

We, the Committee of Seven for the Appeals on the World Peace, express our opposition to the nuclear weapon test conducted on October 9, 2006 by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). We believe that the test is unacceptable, whatever the conditions under which it has been conducted. It endangers peace and human security in the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings, and further in the world at large. To believe that the national security can rely on nuclear arms is only an illusion. It is clear that humankind cannot co-exist with nuclear armament when we recall the casualties caused by nuclear weapons and by their tests conducted since 1945...."

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Peace Boat Emergency Statement in Protest at the North Korean Nuclear Tests and a Call for Immediate Dialogue

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:15:00 GMT

Peace Boat: "

1. On the morning of October 9, the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced that they had carried out a nuclear test. We protest strongly against this. Nuclear tests threaten the lives of all inhabitants of the surrounding area, and nuclear development will aggravate the hunger, poverty and suppression of human rights of the people of the DPRK. The possession of nuclear weapons poses a serious threat to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, East Asia and to the entire world. We call strongly for the DPRK government to immediately cease all further nuclear testing and development of nuclear weapons, and to take prompt action towards the complete abandonment of nuclear weapons programs.

2. The failure of the Bush administration's antagonistic diplomatic policy is clear, in that statements that the DPRK is part of the 'axis of evil' and continuing policies of military and economic pressure have only escalated tensions and led to the DPRK's conducting nuclear weapons tests. Pressure without dialogue cannot lead to any form of resolution. Any military response or pressure will only exacerbate the nuclear crisis and could trigger an armed confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. Now more than ever, we believe that a fundamental change in the hostile policies towards the DPRK is necessary...."

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Peace Movement to Bush: Negotiate With North Korea Now!

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 08:00:00 GMT

United for Peace and Justice, UnitedforPeace.org:

"Peace Movement to Bush: Negotiate With North Korea Now!

North Korea's apparent nuclear test is chilling evidence of how the Bush administration's policy of shunning negotiations has failed. There is no doubt: People in the U.S. and around the world are far less safe than we were five years ago.

But the primary blame for this situation lies with the Bush administration, not North Korea. The nuclear test is a direct reaction to the Bush administration's policy of shunning negotiations and threatening North Korea with war and regime change.

There is only one way to address the current crisis: Direct negotiations with North Korea. With few exceptions, much of the mainstream media is going along with the White House's claims that negotiations won't work. The media played a major role in the run-up to the war in Iraq -- we can't let them do that again...."

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Bush Unleashes the Nuclear Beast

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:00:00 GMT

Joseph Cirincione: "In their third Presidential debate, in October 1960, John F. Kennedy went after Vice President Richard Nixon, blasting him as weak on national security for not stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. France had just tested its first nuclear device, joining the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain as the world's first nuclear powers. Kennedy warned "that 10, 15 or 20 nations will have a nuclear capacity -- including Red China -- by the end of the presidential office in 1964."

As president, Kennedy sought to fight that dark vision, telling the United Nations: "The weapons of war must be abolished, before they abolish us." He restarted talks on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, began pursuit of a global nonproliferation pact and signed a treaty with the Soviet Union to ban atmospheric nuclear tests. Although Kennedy did not live to finish the job, in 1968, Lyndon Johnson signed what became the diplomatic crown jewel of his presidency: the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT. President Nixon secured its ratification.

The NPT is now considered one of the most successful security pacts in history. Every nation in the world is a member except Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Most of the 183 member states that do not have nuclear weapons believe what the treaty says: We should eliminate nuclear weapons.

The treaty became the hub around which liberals and conservatives built an interlocking network of agreements that deterred, though didn't altogether stop, the spread of nuclear weapons. As a result, by 2000, only three other countries - Israel, India and Pakistan - had joined the original five nuclear nations. With the success of these agreements, and the end of the Soviet-American nuclear standoff at the close of the Cold War, it seemed that the nuclear threat that had haunted the world for so many years might finally be receding.

But now, suddenly, the threat is back. In the last six years, we seem awash in nuclear threats: First it was Saddam Hussein, then North Korea and Iran. How did it happen? Is nuclear restraint dead?..."

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A 'race' to head off nuclear disaster

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:00:00 GMT

By William J. Broad and David E. Sanger The New York Times: "

The declaration by North Korea that it has conducted a successful atomic test brought to nine the number of nations believed to have nuclear arms. But atomic officials estimate that as many as 40 more countries have the technical skill, and in some cases the required material, to build a bomb.

That ability, coupled with new nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, risks a second nuclear age, officials and arms control specialists say, in which nations are more likely to abandon the old restraints against atomic weapons.

The spread of nuclear technology is expected to accelerate as nations redouble their reliance on atomic power. That will give more countries the ability to make reactor fuel, or, with the same equipment and a little more effort, bomb fuel - the hardest part of the arms equation.

Signs of activity abound. Hundreds of companies are prospecting for uranium where dozens did a few years ago. Argentina, Australia and South Africa are drawing up plans to begin enriching uranium, and other countries are considering doing the same. Egypt is reviving its program to develop nuclear power.

Concern led the International Atomic Energy Agency to summon government officials and experts from around the world to Vienna in September to discuss tightening curbs on who can produce nuclear fuel. "These dangers are urgent," Sam Nunn, a U.S. expert on the politics of nuclear proliferation, told the group. "We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe and, at this moment, the outcome is unclear."..."

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Restraints Fray and Risks Grow as Nuclear Club Gains Members - The New York Times

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:00:00 GMT

WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER, The New York Times:

"The declaration last Monday by North Korea that it had conducted a successful atomic test brought to nine the number of nations believed to have nuclear arms. But atomic officials estimate that as many as 40 more countries have the technical skill, and in some cases the required material, to build a bomb.

That ability, coupled with new nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, risks a second nuclear age, officials and arms control specialists say, in which nations are more likely to abandon the old restraints against atomic weapons.

The spread of nuclear technology is expected to accelerate as nations redouble their reliance on atomic power. That will give more countries the ability to make reactor fuel, or, with the same equipment and a little more effort, bomb fuel -- the hardest part of the arms equation...."

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A New Nuclear Nightmare?

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:05:00 GMT

Ricken Patel, Ceasefire Campaign:

"Dear Friends,

North Korea's announcement of a nuclear weapons test last week was one more step down a nightmarish road: a new global nuclear arms race. Iran could be the next domino to fall in this dangerous game, and the situation is reaching a critical turning point this week as the UN Security Council debates sanctions.

Much depends on US President Bush. His threatening policies of regime change, preemptive strike, and the invasion of Iraq -- while also undermining global disarmament talks and developing a new generation of nukes -- have many countries rushing to build nuclear weapons. In Iran, as elsewhere, Bush has refused to engage his enemies in direct and unconditional talks. This policy is failing, and even prominent conservative Americans have called for Bush to finally talk to Iran. Please click below to join the chorus of voices and send a personal message to President Bush, calling on the US to negotiate with Iran:

www.CeasefireCampaign.org

Talks between the US and Iran won't guarantee a solution to the nuclear problem, but no talks will guarantee failure, and could lead to a disastrous new war.

Despite credible reports that the US may be planning a military strike on Iran, there has been no global outcry of opposition. At least, not yet. Please forward this email to your friends and family, and let's get a flood of messages sent to President Bush. We'll track the number and publicize it in the media, and show the Bush Administration that the world will not be silent in the face of these dangerous and failing policies.

With hope,

Ricken, Rachel, Amparo, Tom and the Ceasefire Campaign Team.

Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:02:45 -0700...."

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After The North Korean Blast

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 05:40:00 GMT

Praful Bidwai, Transnational Institute [TNI]:

"North Korea has punched a big hole through the already frayed global nuclear order. The effects of its nuclear test will ricochet the world over, causing a change in the Asian balance of power, and an impact on Iran and other countries which aspire to acquire nuclear weapons/capability. The explosion calls into question several assumptions on which today's non-proliferation regime is based. It also underscores some unvarnished wisdom: the best way to deal with "problem cases" like North Korea is to sincerely pursue the global nuclear disarmament agenda while discarding nuclear weapons as a currency of power.

North Korea's blast showed that a small (pop 23 million), poor, industrially backward, economically and politically isolated country, which recently experienced a series of famines, can build nuclear weapons if it's determined to. Splitting the atom requires neither high science nor very advanced technology. The science is more than 60 years old, and the technology no more sophisticated than what a car garage has-once you have fissile material or reactors. The test set a terrible precedent and a bad example. Forty countries of the world have significant civilian nuclear programmes, which can be diverted to make weapons.

Why did North Korea test? Pyongyang's super-secretive rulers aren't likely to disclose their motives. But there's a long history of conflict with South Korea, backed by the United States. During the 1950-53 Korean War, US commander General Douglas MacArthur had plans to launch 26 nuclear strikes against the North...."

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Report from the UN about the vote on the two space resolutions

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 08:00:00 GMT

Alice Slater at aslater@rcn.com:

"....At the UN today, the First Committee of the General Assembly, which addresses disarmament issues, voted overwhelmingly for a Resolution to Prevent an Arms Race in Outer Space. There were 166 nations in favor of this sensible proposal with only one negative vote and two abstentions. The United States opposed the resolution, while Israel and Cote D'Ivoire abstained. A fallback resolution, to take "Transparency and Confidence Building Measures in Outer Space Activities", garnered a similar vote, with only the US voting against it and Israel abstaining. (The text of the resolutions are posted at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com06/res/resindex.html)

In a statement from the floor, the US delegation "explained" its votes by insisting that "there is no arms race in space, and no prospect of an arms race in space. Thus there is no arms control problem for the international community to address." In light of the US abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and this month's new National Space Policy statement issued by the Bush administration stating that "Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power," and that the United States will "develop and deploy space capabilities that sustain U.S. advantage", coupled with an $11 billion dollar budget this year to develop space hardware, including laser attack weapons, it defies reason to think that the US is sincere in promoting the "peaceful" use of space...."

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Bush Sets Defense As Space Priority

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 08:20:00 GMT

Marc Kaufman, Washington Post Staff Writer:

"President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone "hostile to U.S. interests."

The document, the first full revision of overall space policy in 10 years, emphasizes security issues, encourages private enterprise in space, and characterizes the role of U.S. space diplomacy largely in terms of persuading other nations to support U.S. policy.

"Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power," the policy asserts in its introduction.

National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said in written comments that an update was needed to "reflect the fact that space has become an even more important component of U.S. economic, national and homeland security." The military has become increasingly dependent on satellite communication and navigation, as have providers of cellphones, personal navigation devices and even ATMs...."

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BUSH OPENS OUTER SPACE TO COMBAT

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Karl Grossman at MinutemanMedia.org:

"....It was issued quietly: 5 p.m. on the Friday before the long Columbus Day weekend, a release seemingly designed to get little notice. But what it involved deserves major attention: a new U.S. National Space Policy that could set the stage for the heavens being turned into a battleground.

For decades, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 has shaped how nations approach space. Developed by the United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union-and now ratified essentially by all the world's countries-the landmark agreement sets space aside for peaceful purposes.

But the United States became uncomfortable with the treaty in the 1980s during President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" program. That discomfort was marked in the 1990s by U.S. opposition to efforts (still ongoing) led by Canada-and including Russia and China-to ban all weapons in space; the treaty only bans weapons of mass destruction.

There were bellicose declarations in the 1990s, too, from the U.S. Space Command speaking of "dominating the space dimension of military operations to protest U.S. interests and investment"...."

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US Space Commander Discusses Future Space Capability - Part 1

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:05:00 GMT

By Staff Writers at SPACEWAR.com:

"....Think about the capabilities that we deliver from space; you don't ever see satellites on parade on a Memorial Day weekend or Armed Forces Day weekend, but they're up there. And the folks who are taking care of them aren't in the headlines, you don't read a lot about them. But they're out there every day, 24/7/365, making sure that America has those capabilities delivered. The capabilities that they deliver -- those effects that they bring to the United States of America -- is not just to the military. It's not just to the Air Force, for that matter.

When you think about it, there's not a thing we do in this Command that is strictly for the United States Air Force. The things that we do in this command are for everybody in the armed forces -- Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. On top of that, some of the other capabilities we bring, Global Positioning System, for example, are for everybody. They're a huge and important part of this Nation's economy. They're a huge and important part of the global economy. And that's brought to you by this invisible force that is launched, operated and shepherded day-in and day-out by the men and women of Air Force Space Command. So I am just incredibly proud to be a part of this team that delivers that kind of capability.

Our Chief's (Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley) main focus areas for our Air Force, are first and foremost, to win the fight and stay focused on the war that we're in right now, (second) to take care of our people and (third), recapitalize our forces. When I look at how that applies to Air Force Space Command, this is a no-brainer, it lines right up. Again, as I mentioned, everything we do for the Department of Defense, (we're doing to help) our military men and women ... who are engaged in this war.

We bring them precision navigation and timing, so they can operate in the fields. We bring them weather forecasting so they can understand the environment better that they're going to operate in. We bring them communication satellites, we bring them missile warning, so they know when to duck and know how to prepare for attack. We are engaged around the world supporting the Global War on Terrorism every day. And on top of that, we have about a thousand folks from this command who are deployed forward and doing everything from civil engineering support, security forces support, driving convoy trucks up and down the roads in various parts of the world. You name it, the folks who help keep this command running day-in and day-out are also being tapped to go forward and help with the war effort in deployed locations around the world. And I'm incredibly proud of these folks. I'm proud of the folks who back fill for them back here in America while they're gone. So we are absolutely focused in this command on making sure we bring our capabilities to fight this Global War on Terrorism...."

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New Bush Space Policy Unveiled, Stresses U.S. Freedom of Action

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:00:00 GMT

Leonard David, Senior Space Writer at Space.com:

"U.S. President George W. Bush has authorized a sweeping new national space policy, green-lighting an overarching national policy that governs the conduct of America's space activities.

The new policy supports not only a Moon, Mars and beyond exploration agenda, but also responds to a post 9/11 world of terrorist actions, such as the need for intelligence-gathering internal and external to the United States.

U.S. assets must be unhindered in carrying out their space duties, the Bush space policy says, stressing that "freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power."

Without fanfare, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) rolled out the National Space Policy on October 6-a document that supersedes a September 1996 version of the directive. President Bush signed off on the new space policy on August 31.

A 10-page unclassified version of the U.S. National Space Policy was posted Friday on the OSTP web site...."

http://www.ostp.gov/html/US%20National%20Space%20Policy.pdf

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Boeing Airborne Laser Team Rolls Out Modified Aircraft And Prepares For Flight Tests

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Staff Writers at Spacewar.com:

"Boeing, along with industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, rolled out the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft today from a modification facility in Wichita, Kan., during a ceremony marking major program achievements on several fronts. Boeing presented the aircraft to a crowd of hundreds of government customers, industry partners and Boeing employees gathered at its Integrated Defense Systems facilities in Wichita.

The ceremony highlighted the following accomplishments:

The Airborne Laser team in Wichita fully integrated the Lockheed Martin-designed beam control/fire control system inside the ABL aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F. Two solid-state illuminator lasers, which are part of the beam control device, and a surrogate high-energy laser were installed and fired repeatedly at a simulated ballistic missile target.

The track illuminator laser is designed to track a target, while the beacon illuminator laser is intended to measure atmospheric turbulence that the high-energy chemical laser would encounter in its path to the target. During the ground tests, results from the illuminator firings were fed back to ABL, allowing the surrogate high-energy laser to shoot down a simulated target. The program achieved most of the objectives of the ground tests and expects to satisfy the remaining ones in the coming months.

In Wichita, the team, including a Boeing-Northrop Grumman contingent on temporary assignment from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., added floor reinforcements and chemical-fuel tanks to the back of the aircraft to prepare the jet for installation of the high-energy laser in 2007...."

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N. Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear talks

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 19:30:00 GMT

CHARLES HUTZLER, Associated Press Writer:

"BEIJING - The U.S. and Chinese governments announced Tuesday that North Korea agreed to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, a surprise diplomatic breakthrough that comes only three weeks after the communist regime conducted its first known atomic test.

The agreement was struck in a day of unpublicized discussions between the senior envoys from the United States, China and North Korea at a government guesthouse in Beijing. The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said the six-nation negotiations could resume as early as November or December...."

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China backs Asean anti-nuke treaty

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 19:40:00 GMT

Richard McGregor in Beijing:

"China on Monday announced that it would sign a treaty establishing a "nuclear weapons free" zone in south-east Asia, a largely symbolic move that signals its increasing willingness to forge closer ties with regional nations.

Wen Jiabao, China's premier, made the announcement in Nanning, southern China, where he is meeting the leaders of the 10-strong Association of Southeast Asian Nations in a summit to mark 15 years of relations with its member nations.

Beijing has signalled for the past year that it would accede to the protocol of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, which came into force in 1997.

The treaty bans the development and possession of nuclear weapons among Asean member nations and requires each state to declare whether nuclear-powered ships or nuclear-armed aircraft are visiting or passing through their territory...."

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China Tried To Blind U.S. Sats With Laser

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:40:00 GMT

VAGO MURADIAN at DefenseNews.com:

"Posted 09/22/06 17:48

China has fired high-power lasers at U.S. spy satellites flying over its territory in what experts see as a test of Chinese ability to blind the spacecraft, according to sources.

It remains unclear how many times a ground-based laser was tested against U.S. spacecraft or whether it was successful.

But the combination of China's efforts and advances in Russian satellite-jamming capabilities that illustrate vulnerabilities to the U.S. space network are driving U.S. Air Force plans to develop new space architectures and highly classified systems, according to sources...."

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A Dangerous Step toward Space Warfare

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:50:00 GMT

Brittany Sauser at technologyreview.com:

"Experts say the new U.S. National Space Policy will push the world closer to a space arms race.

The release of the U.S. National Space Policy (NSP) on October 6 has worried many experts, who say the policy marks a strategic shift toward a more military-oriented, unilateral approach to space for the United States. They fear that the policy, if followed, could begin an arms race leading to catastrophic space warfare...."

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Wake-up call

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 16:30:00 GMT

Praful Bidwai at TNI.org: "The nuclear powers would be committing a colossal blunder if they do not respond to North Korea's test by reforming the global nuclear order.

By blasting its way into the global nuclear club as its junior-most member, North Korea has mounted a major, and in some ways, unique challenge to the world. From just five nuclear weapons-states (NWSs) in 1974, the world will now be forced to live - if that is the right word - with nine NWSs. There is no telling when the ugly process of the club's expansion might stop.

This should shake us all out of our complacency. If the overwhelming majority of the world's peoples believe - and only a tiny minority of doctrinaire deterrence-worshippers like Kenneth Waltz think that yet more NWSs will make the world safer - that security and nuclear weapons are mutually incompatible in the long run, then the world has taken a decisive turn towards insecurity. Following the North Korean test, the Doomsday Clock should be advanced.

What makes North Korea's nuclear misadventure special is the potential generalisability of nuclear weapons acquisition by numerous countries. North Korea is a small (23 million population), industrially (and even agriculturally) backward country, which recently lost a tenth of its population to famines. If this impoverished country, which has lived for half-a-century under United States-imposed sanctions, can make nuclear weapons, then so can many other states...."

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Japan's race to rearm started well before North Korean nuclear test

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:00:00 GMT

Associated Press at BostonHerald.com:

"ABOARD THE KURAMA - Nearly 50 warships crowded the bay just south of Tokyo, all flying the Rising Sun flag. Sea-to-sea missiles roared off the decks of several destroyers and submarines emerged like a pod of whales from the surf.

More than an exercise, this was a message: In Asia's accelerating arms race, Japan is determined not to fall behind.

"The security environment surrounding our nation has changed dramatically in recent years," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the sailors aboard this destroyer after watching Japan's annual fleet review Sunday. "I believe this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our readiness." ..."

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Uranium export safeguards found wanting

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:15:00 GMT

Michelle Grattan at theage.com.au:

"AUSTRALIA'S proposed safeguards are inadequate to track any diversion of its uranium exports to China's nuclear weapons program, a report released today claims.

The planned big exports to China and potential large through-puts of spent reactor fuel to extract plutonium increase the risks Australian nuclear material could be diverted, without detection, to military programs, it says.

"The capacity to verify that such diversion has occurred is lacking," says the report, issued by the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Medical Association for Prevention of War. The report has been prepared by a team including academic experts...."

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"The Illusion of Protection" - a (MAPW) Report on Nuclear Proliferation Risks

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 08:00:00 GMT

Felicity Hill, Campaign Coordinator ICAN - International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons:

"In 1977, an Australian government inquiry described the international nuclear safeguards system as providing only "an illusion of protection," a description that remains appropriate today.

This morning (5 Nov) the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) launched a new report analyzing the inadequacy of current nuclear safeguards called "The Illusion of Protection". The report includes a critique of the international nuclear safeguards system, but also deals specifically with the proposed sale of Australian uranium to China.

An executive summary and the full report can be downloaded at this link:

http://www.mapw.org.au/Illusion%20of%20Protection%20index.html

With a Foreword by the eminent Dr. Frank Barnaby, this rigorous and scholarly report involved three professors in medicine, physics and international relations, two PhDs on technical and environmental issues, and two political analysts and campaigners.

The report provides an overview of the current international safeguards systems, how they are designed to work and the inherent difficulties and flaws in them...."

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Dissent Grows at U.N. Over Iran

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:00:00 GMT

Colum Lynch, Washington Post Staff Writer:

"UNITED NATIONS -- As the Bush administration struggles to rally international pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program, China and Russia are working to take the most powerful diplomatic weapon off the table: the military option.

Moscow and Beijing insist that a U.N. sanctions resolution under negotiation in New York should avoid language that could be used as a pretext for a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. They have received the tacit backing of the United States' key European partners, Britain, France and Germany.

But analysts say the 15-nation Security Council's refusal to preserve the possibility -- however remote -- of military action has weakened its hand as it confronts one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century: the possible emergence of a radical Middle East government with nuclear weapons...."

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Of Real and Manufactured Crisis: Iran in the Eye of the Storm[1]

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:30:00 GMT

Faramarz Farbod at Znet (zmag.org):

"A popular joke in the United States of the late 1980s depicted Iran as a country that had for long generated substantial troubles for successive U.S. administrations. A U.S. President, so the joke went, had his State Department tasked with bringing him the U.S. government file on Iran. The Department was unable to find the Iran file under the letter "I." The President asked that the search be conducted under the letter "P" for Persia, Iran's pre-1933 name. As the second search also failed, confusion set in the White House whereupon an advisor suggested that perhaps Iran had been filed under the letter "U," to which the President asked what it stood for. The reply: Ulcers.

Clearly many North Americans agree and consider the U.S. as the aggrieved party. If asked they would point to the year 1979 as when it all began. In 1979, the Iranian Revolution toppled a key U.S. ally, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Later in the same year, Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 North Americans captive for 444 days. Establishing time-lines that tell of origins is critical to historical storytelling. To Iranians their troubled history with the United States did not begin in 1979. For them 1953 is the key year. In that year, an Anglo-U.S. coup toppled the parliamentary government of Iran's popular Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mossadeq. The coup ended the only democratic experiment in government in modern Iranian history...."

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Global Nuclear Arms Race - Iran and North Korea could create a domino effect in their respective regions

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Liam Bailey (wordsworth) at OhmyNews:

"Nov. 3 2006 will be remembered as the day the Middle East changed forever, six Arab states announced their intention to initiate programmes to master atomic technology. Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, want to start civilian nuclear energy programs. Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates also showed interest.

So many states, all predominantly Sunni Arab, making simultaneous announcements of seeking nuclear power, has prompted fears that their true intention could be to master the technology on the path to the first Arab atomic bomb.

Despite these fears the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has consulted with all governments and will offer technical assistance in their development of nuclear power plants. The announcement was a complete reversal of Arab policy, which had previously been joint calls for nuclear disarmament throughout the Middle East, in other words the nuclear disarmament of Israel, the only Middle East state known to have a useable nuclear arsenal...."

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Iran: US polls results reduce chance of clash

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:30:00 GMT

IranMania.com:

"LONDON, November 10 (IranMania) - Iranian opinion-makers welcomed the resignation of the US secretary of defense and the Republican Party's losses in Congress, saying the two events could reduce the chances of a confrontation with the United States over Iran's contentious nuclear program, The Associated Press reported...."

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Elections may shift U.S. policy in Iraq

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:40:00 GMT

ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer at Yahoo News:

"WASHINGTON - Democratic control of Congress, public dislike for the Iraq war and the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld could open the door for a policy shift in the conflict, but early maneuvering for the 2008 presidential election could slam the door shut.

What happens will depend largely on how the White House, leaders of both parties and the candidates to replace President Bush in two years interpret the results of this week's voting and seek political footing for the 2008 race, analysts said...."

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Israel official: Strike on Iran possible

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 10:00:00 GMT

IranMania.com:

"LONDON, November 11 (IranMania) - The deputy defense minister suggested that Israel might be forced to launch a military strike against Iran's disputed nuclear program, the clearest statement yet of such a possibility from a high-ranking official, The Associated Press reported.

"I am not advocating an Israeli pre-emptive military action against Iran and I am aware of its possible repercussions," Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, a former general, said in comments published Friday in The Jerusalem Post.

"I consider it a last resort. But even the last resort is sometimes the only resort"...."

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Iran in UN protest over Israel 'military threats'

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT

AFP at Yahoo News:

"TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran has complained to the United Nations over a "series of threats" after an Israeli official refused to rule out a military strike against the Islamic republic, the IRNA agency reports...."

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Olmert to focus on Iran in visit to U.S.

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 11:10:00 GMT

AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer:

"JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert goes to Washington on Sunday stripped of his key diplomatic agenda and unlikely to get much action from an equally weakened President Bush on the one item he'll focus on -- IRAN..."

"..."If anything, Olmert goes to Washington without much of an agenda at all."

That leaves the Israeli leader with the other key message of his May visit -- the Iranian nuclear threat...."

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U.S., Russia urged to talk about scrapping A-bombs

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:00:00 GMT

Louis Charbonneau, Reuters at Yahoo News:

"BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and Norway urged the United States and Russia on Friday to take heed of North Korea's nuclear test and resume negotiations on dismantling their atomic arsenals to prevent a collapse of the non-proliferation regime.

In a joint editorial to be published on Saturday by Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr-Store warned that North Korea's atomic test proved it was time to upgrade the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

The editorial calls on "the nuclear weapons states, particularly Russia and the United States, to fulfill their responsibility and declare they are ready to engage in further negotiations about their strategic nuclear weapons."...."

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Implications of the US-India nuclear deal and the task for the peace movement

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:40:00 GMT

Zia Mian:

"The US Congress has passed legislation enabling the 2005 US-India nuclear deal to go forward. This deal may accelerate the nuclear arms in South Asia...."

"... Our task

The international peace movement can still try to prevent this deal form triggering a major escalation in the South Asian nuclear arms race.

For the deal to come into force, it has to be accepted unanimously by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The debate may be drawn out - the deal is supported by the United States, United Kingdom, France and Russia, while several members (including Austria, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and New Zealand) are opposed, and other countries (among them are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Finland) are divided. China has proposed that instead of an India-specific exemption from NSG rules, a criteria based approach be adopted. This presumably would open the door for the NSG to eventually consider lifting restrictions on nuclear trade with Pakistan (whose nuclear weapon and nuclear power program China has supported).

The countries who are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group must be urged to abide by UN Security Resolution 1172. They should promote an end to the production of fissile materials for weapons in South Asia as a condition for any international nuclear trade with India or Pakistan.

A moratorium on such production could also be important in fostering negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. The United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France and China have all suspended production of fissile materials for weapons. India and Pakistan (along with Israel and North Korea) are continuing their production however. A complete halt to all production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons is a necessary step for nuclear disarmament...."

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Business Lobbies Push Indo-US Nuke Deal

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Praful Bidwai at IPS News Net:

"NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (IPS) - The United States and India have begun new manoeuvres to push through their controversial nuclear cooperation deal after the U.S. Senate, in a special "lame duck" session last week, passed an important bill facilitating it...."

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Iran Says It Will Build Heavy-Water Reactor Without Agency's Help

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:00:00 GMT

NAZILA FATHI in the New York Times:

"TEHRAN, Nov. 23 - Iran said Thursday that it would build a heavy-water reactor on its own after the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency decided to remove the item from a list of projects for which it planned to provide technical assistance.

"It is part of the agency's duties to help," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at a news conference on Thursday after the action in Vienna by the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the ISNA news service reported. "If they do not help, we will do it on our own."..."

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India's Nonproliferation Record Revisited

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:10:00 GMT

Jeffrey Lewis at ArmsControlWonk.com:

"WaPo's Dafna Linzer reports that the Congress has asked for an intelligence assessment on India's nonproliferation record, particularly its ties to Iran:

"In a Jan. 23 letter to John D. Negroponte, director of national intelligence, the ranking chairmen of the House and Senate foreign relations panels asked for "an interagency assessment" of India's nuclear program, its record of proliferation and its ties to Iran. The letter was signed by Reps. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.) and Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) and Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.)-all of whom have been generally supportive of the India deal but have raised concerns about the proliferation implications and about India's relations with Iran.

The four asked Negroponte to assess how India is implementing its nonproliferation commitments, the adequacy of its export controls and the movement into and out of India of materials to make weapons of mass destruction."

I suspect the reference to Iran is a result of the two Indian firms sanctioned for "selling missile parts to Iran," sanctions that Linzer reported were kept secret until after the House voted on legislation related to the US-India nuclear deal...."

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Technical Cooperation for Arak

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:15:00 GMT

Jeffrey Lewis at ArmsControlWonk.com:

"Manging the Atom Quote of the Day:

".."A 12-inch hunting knife also could be used to spread jam on your toast in the morning."

Former director of nonproliferation at the State Department Robert J. Einhorn "conceded that the Arak reactor could have peaceful uses, though implausibly so.".."

Regular readers know that I've been somewhat annoyed that much of the attention focused on Iran doesn't seem to extend to the 40 MW heavy water reactor that Iran is building near Arak - a reactor that Bob Einhorn and Daryl Kimball have rightly called a bomb factory...."

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Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): Securing the Bomb 2006 Report

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 10:00:00 GMT

Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): "The latest report in our series finds that even though the gap between the threat of nuclear terrorism and the response has narrowed in recent years, there remains an unacceptable danger that terrorists might succeed in their quest to get and use a nuclear bomb, turning a modern city into a smoking ruin. Offering concrete steps to confront that danger, the report calls for world leaders to launch a fast-paced global coalition against nuclear terrorism focused on locking down all stockpiles of nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear materials worldwide as rapidly as possible...."

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Atoms For Peace - A National Archives [NARA] Milestone Document

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 10:10:00 GMT

Eisenhower.Library at nara.gov:

"Introduction by Jack M. Holl and Roger M. Anders

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was determined to solve "the fearful atomic dilemma" by finding some way by which "the miraculous inventiveness of man" would not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life." In his "Atoms for Peace" speech before the United Nations on December 8, 1953, Eisenhower sought to solve this terrible problem by suggesting a means to transform the atom from a scourge into a benefit for mankind. Although not as well known as his warning about the "military industrial complex," voiced later in his farewell radio and television address to the American people, Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace speech embodied his most important nuclear initiative as President. From it sprang a panoply of peaceful atomic programs. With it Eisenhower placed the debate over the control of nuclear science and technology, which had largely been the province of government officials and contractors, squarely before the public. Indeed, the present public controversy over nuclear technology and its role in American society can be traced back to Eisenhower's determination that control of nuclear science was an issue for all Americans....

comment: Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance: "The only Atoms for Peace I know are those atoms found in food and water"

"But here is an interesting history lesson of good intentions that later took a wrong turn and developed in a proliferation - and an environmental risk (unknown at that time), which threatens the existents of all living beings in this World

It is my opinion that without Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Energy Production this World would become a safer and securer place to live in for All of us"...."

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Nuclear Power sans Weapons (for Some)?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Oliver Meier at Arms Control Association:

"NEWS ANALYSIS: The Growing Nuclear Fuel-Cycle Debate

A series of nuclear-related crises and a growing interest by several countries in nuclear energy production has revived interest in ways to prevent the spread of nuclear technologies that can be easily misused for the production of nuclear weapons materials.

Since the dawn of the nuclear age, governments have cast about for ways to manage the dual-use nature of nuclear technology. In the 1970s and 1980s, several proposals were discussed for creating an international framework to govern uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, but none were implemented.

However, these concerns have taken on a new life as fears have grown that Iran may misuse its nuclear fuel-cycle facilities to produce nuclear weapons materials and after Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's clandestine nuclear black market network was unmasked...."

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IAEA chief urges ban on nuclear tests

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:10:00 GMT

JOSEPH COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer:

"TOKYO (AP) - North Korea's testing of a nuclear device last month illustrates the need for a world ban on such tests, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also called on established nuclear weapon states - such as the U.S. - to move toward nuclear disarmament...."

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Vatican: Nuclear Disarmament Remains Key Goal for Humanity

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:15:00 GMT

EDWARD PENTIN, Register Correspondent:

"VATICAN CITY - Sen. Douglas Roche is deeply troubled.

After many years advising Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI on nuclear disarmament, the Canadian lawmaker is visibly shaken by what he sees as indifference towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Like many others for whom nuclear weapons are intrinsically immoral, he believes the world is living in a "second nuclear age" that represents the "single biggest moral issue in the world."

The central problem, Roche said in a Nov. 17 interview with the Register, is that nuclear arsenals are becoming permanent instruments of military policy, regarded as weapons to be actually used in battle rather than just as a deterrent to prevent others from attacking...."

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Russia must remain a major nuclear power

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:20:00 GMT

Sergei Kortunov for RIA Novosti:

"An all-out war or armed conflict between the great powers no longer seems possible. However, the five official nuclear powers are in no hurry to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their policy, a fact attested to by the US's new nuclear doctrine, loose rules of engagement for using nuclear weapons in the event of a crisis and greater regional tensions.

Russia therefore has no choice but to remain a major nuclear power in the foreseeable future.

It is our opinion that, depending on the global military-political situation, by 2012 Russia's strategic nuclear forces should have...."

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Aso: Japan can possess nuclear weapons

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:30:00 GMT

MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer:

"TOKYO - Japan has the technological know-how to produce a nuclear weapon but has no immediate plans to do so, the foreign minister said Thursday, several weeks after communist North Korea carried out a nuclear test.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who has called for discussion of Japan's non-nuclear policy, also asserted that the pacifist constitution does not forbid possession of the bomb.

"Japan is capable of producing nuclear weapons," Aso told a parliamentary committee on security issues. "But we are not saying we have plans to possess nuclear weapons."...."

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Kofi Annan: End "Mutually Assured Paralysis"

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:30:00 GMT

John Burroughs at DisarmamentActivist.org:

"Along with other NGO representatives, I had the opportunity the other evening to say a few words at a reception here in New York honoring Kofi Annan, who will step down as UN Secretary-General at the end of this month. Speaking on behalf of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy and the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, I had no difficulty being utterly sincere. I started by thanking him for his condemnation of the U.S. invasion of Iraq as contrary to the UN Charter. I went on to say how much we appreciate his eloquent, informed and incisive calls for progress towards elimination of nuclear weapons, most recently in a remarkable speech at Princeton.

The speech is a clear exposition of the need for simultaneous action on two linked fronts: to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technologies for their production, and to marginalize and eliminate existing arsenals. Referring to the debate between proponents of "non-proliferation first" - mostly nuclear weapon states and their supporters - and proponents of "disarmament first," Annan said:...."

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Lecture by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at Princeton University

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:35:00 GMT

Kofi Annan:

"Let me begin by saying how delighted I am to have been invited to give this address by a School named after Woodrow Wilson, the great pioneer of multilateralism and advocate of world peace, who argued, among other things, for agreed international limits on deadly weapons.

Princeton is indissolubly linked with the memory of Albert Einstein and many other great scientists who played a role in making this country the first nuclear power. That makes it an especially appropriate setting for my address this evening, because my main theme is the danger of nuclear weapons, and the urgent need to confront that danger by preventing proliferation and promoting disarmament, both at once. I shall argue that these two objectives -- disarmament and non-proliferation -- are inextricably linked, and that to achieve progress on either front we must also advance on the other...."

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The U.N.'s unfinished nuclear business

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:45:00 GMT

Zia Mian at DailyPrincetonian.com:

"The United Nations General Assembly passed its first resolution in 1946. In the shadow of the American atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the highest priority of the new body was a call for plans "for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction." On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan focused on the terrible fact that 60 years on, the world still has no plan to be rid of what he called a "unique existential threat to all humanity."

Instead of elimination, the nuclear danger has grown and spread from one country with a few weapons to a situation where the United States and Russia have about 10,000 nuclear weapons each and have been joined as nuclear-armed states by Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and, most recently, North Korea...."

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Trident Replacement debate in Britain, full text of Blair's speech

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:50:00 GMT

Abolition 2000 Europe:

"...From the BBC website.

Blair's Trident statement in full:

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I shall make a statement about the government's decision to maintain the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent...."

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Stop Complex 2030! Say No to New Nuclear Weapons!

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:30:00 GMT

the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Turn the Tide Campaign :

"Stop the Nuclear Bombplex

The Bombplex

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is responsible for maintaining the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal, is designing new nuclear weapons. These new designs are being prepared under the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead Program (RRW). To begin industrial production of these new weapons, the NNSA has proposed an expensive, dangerous and unnecessary overhaul of the current nuclear complex. The resulting Bombplex will mean new facilities for new nuclear weapons development and maintenance.[snip]...[snip]New nukes in the US mean new nukes in other countries!

Designing and building new nuclear weapons will encourage other countries to follow the same path, ultimately leading to a new nuclear arms race. At a time when the United States is trying to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, Iran to halt uranium enrichment and the rest of the world to abstain from developing nuclear weapons, we should not be taking actions that encourage other countries to develop or expand their nuclear weapons capabilities. We should be dismantling our existing weapons, not developing new ones...."

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Dual Missile Test Fails Off Hawaii

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:30:00 GMT

DAVID BRISCOE, Associated Press Writer:

"A drill planned to demonstrate the Navy's ability to knock down two incoming missiles at once from the same ship failed off Hawaii's coast on Thursday, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said...."

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The Sunflower Newsletter, December 2006

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:40:00 GMT

the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation:

"The Sunflower is a monthly e-newsletter providing educational information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues relating to global security. Help us spread the word and forward this to a friend...."

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The Travails of Sea-Based Missile Defense

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 21:00:00 GMT

Steve Aftergood's "Secrecy News" at fas.org:

"The flight test of a sea-based missile defense system in the Pacific was aborted yesterday after an interceptor missile failed to launch from an Aegis cruiser, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said.

It was the latest setback in an ambitious sea-based missile defense program that will cost more than one billion dollars in 2007.

"In developing a global ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, the Department of Defense (DOD) currently is modifying 18 Navy cruisers and destroyers for BMD operations, and has placed a large BMD radar -- the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) -- on a modified floating oil platform," according to a new report of the Congressional Research Service...."

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PNND Update 15 - December 2006

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 21:20:00 GMT

Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator, Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament:

"PNND update15 Contents:

1. UN Secretary-General on the "Greatest Danger"

2. Nobel Peace Laureates on nuclear abolition and nonviolence

3. Parliamentary support for nuclear abolition

4. PNND roundtable on North East Asia postponed...."

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US-India Nuclear Deal: Giving Encouragement to North Korea

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 21:50:00 GMT

Hideyuki Ban, CNIC Co-Director:

"Statement of protest and demand to Japanese government

The Citizens' Nuclear Information Center strongly protests the law passed yesterday by the US Congress to enable nuclear trade between the US and India. Allowing nuclear cooperation with India, which conducted nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998, provides an excuse for the nuclear weapons programs of Pakistan and North Korea and of any other would-be proliferator. Japan of all countries, having suffered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, must oppose this deal...."

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Pakistan tests ballistic missile

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 21:55:00 GMT

BBC News:

"Pakistan has successfully test-fired a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the Pakistani military has said...."

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Notice of motion from Senator Lyn Alison was passed unanimously by the Australian Senate on Friday 8th Dec 2006

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:40:00 GMT

John Hallam, foesyd4@ihug.com.au or johnhallam2001@yahoo.com.au:

"The following notice of motion from Senator Lyn Alison, was passed unanimously by the Australian Senate on Friday 8th Dec.

(Includes texts of Kofi Annan Speech and Nobels Summit declaration tabled by Senator Lyn Alison)...."

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NUCLEAR WINTER REVISITED

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:30:00 GMT

Alan Robock, Luke Oman (1), and Georgiy L. Stenchikov:

"NUCLEAR WINTER REVISITED WITH A MODERN CLIMATE

MODEL AND CURRENT NUCLEAR ARSENALS: STILL

CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES

Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

(1)Now at Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres

November, 2006

Abstract

Twenty years ago, the results of climate model simulations of the response to smoke and dust from a massive nuclear exchange between the superpowers could be summarized as "nuclear winter" with rapid temperature, precipitation, and insolation drops at the surface that would threaten global agriculture for at least a year. The global nuclear arsenal has fallen by a factor of three since then, but there has been an expansion of the number of nuclear weapons states, with other states trying to develop nuclear arsenals. We use a modern climate model to re-examine the climate response to a range of nuclear wars, producing 50 and 150 Tg of smoke, using moderate, and large portions of the current global arsenal, and find that there would be significant climatic responses to all the scenarios. This is the first time that an atmosphere-ocean general circulation model has been used for such a simulation, and the first time that 10-yr simulations have been conducted. The response to the 150 Tg scenario can still be characterized as "nuclear winter," but both produce global catastrophic consequences. The changes are more long-lasting than previously thought, however, because the new model, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E, is able to represent the atmosphere up to 80 km, and simulates plume rise to the middle and upper stratosphere, producing a long aerosol lifetime. The indirect effects of nuclear weapons would have devastating consequences for the planet, and continued nuclear arsenal reductions will be needed before the threat of nuclear winter is removed from the Earth.

Excerpts:

The effects of the smoke cloud on surface temperature are extremely large (Fig. 2). Stratospheric temperatures are also severely perturbed (Fig. 3). A global average surface cooling of -7 C to -8 C persists for years, and after a decade the cooling is still -4 C (Fig. 2). Considering that the global average cooling at the depth of the last ice age 18,000 yr ago was about -5 C, this would be a climate change unprecedented in speed and amplitude in the history of the human race. The temperature changes are largest over land. Maps of the temperature changes for the Northern Hemisphere summers the year of smoke injection (Year 0) and the next year (Year 1) are shown in Fig. 4. Cooling of more than -20 C occur over large areas of North America and of more than -30 C over much of Eurasia, including all agricultural regions. There are also large temperature changes in the tropics and over Southern Hemisphere continents. Large climatic effects would occur in regions far removed from the target areas or the countries involved in the conflict. As examples of the actual temperature changes in important grain-growing regions, we have plotted the time series of daily minimum air temperature for grid points in Iowa, United States, at 42 N, 95 W, and in Ukraine at 50 N, 30 E (Fig. 5). For both locations (shown in Fig. 4), minimum temperatures rapidly plummet below freezing and stay there for more than a year.

In Ukraine, they stay below freezing for more than two years. Clearly, this would have agricultural implications. As a result of the cooling of the Earth's surface, evapotranspiration is reduced and the global hydrological cycle is weakened. In addition, Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon circulations collapse, because the driving continent-ocean temperature gradient does not develop. The resulting global precipitation is reduced by about 45% (Fig. 2).

Harwell and Hutchinson [1986] clearly described the impacts of nuclear winter. They assumed that there would be no food production around the world for one year and concluded that most of the people on the planet would run out of food and starve to death by then. Our results show that this period of no food production needs to be extended by many years, making the impacts of nuclear winter even worse than previously thought. Agriculture would be affected by many factors, including temperature changes, precipitation changes, and changes in insolation [e.g., Robock et al., 1993; Maytin et al., 1995]. As an example, Fig. 10 shows changes in the length of the freeze-free growing season for the third full growing seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Such large reductions in growing season would completely eliminate crops that have insufficient time to reach maturity. Also, global ozone loss is likely [Toon et al., 2006], with effects on downward ultraviolet radiation [Vogelmann et al., 1992]. Further analysis of these and other effects, which is beyond the scope of this paper, is needed.

The major policy implication of nuclear winter was that a full-scale nuclear attack would produce climatic effects which would so disrupt the food supply that it would be suicide for the attacking country [Robock, 1989] and would also impact non-combatant countries. The subsequent end of the arms race and reduction of superpower tensions can be traced back to the world being forced to confront both the direct and indirect consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by the public policy debate in response to nuclear winter theory. While significant reductions of American and Russian nuclear arsenals followed, our results show that each country still retains enough weapons to produce a large, long-lasting, unprecedented global climate change. "Star Wars" (Strategic Defense Initiative, now the Missile Defense Agency) is not the answer, since it still does not work after 20 years of trying. Even if it worked according to specifications, it would let in too many weapons, such as on cruise missiles. Indirect effects of nuclear winter are greater that direct effects. There would be many innocent victims in non combatant nations. The United States and Russia are signatories to the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, which commits both to a reduction to 1700-2200 deployed nuclear weapons by the end of 2012. This continuing reduction of nuclear weapons by both parties is to be commended, but only nuclear disarmament will prevent the possibility of a nuclear environmental catastrophe. In the meantime, it is instructive to ask why Britain, France, and China have chosen nuclear arsenals of only a couple hundred nuclear weapons (Table 2). The threat of how many nuclear weapons dropping on your major cities would be necessary to deter an attack on another nuclear power? More than one? An immediate reduction of the Russian and American nuclear arsenals to the same size as those of Britain, France, and China would set an example for the world, maintain the nuclear deterrence of each, and dramatically lowering the chances of nuclear winter. The results in this paper need to be tested with other climate models, and the detailed consequences on agriculture, water supply, global trade, communications, travel, air pollution, and many more potential human impacts need further study. Each of these potential hazards deserves careful analysis by governments advised by a broad section of the scientific community...."

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Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:00:00 GMT

A. Robock (1), L. Oman (1), G. L. Stenchikov (1), O. B. Toon (2), C. Bardeen (2), and R. P. Turco (3):

"Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts

A. Robock (1), L. Oman (1), G. L. Stenchikov (1), O. B. Toon (2), C. Bardeen (2), and R. P. Turco (3)

1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

2. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, USA

3. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, USA

Received: 15 August 2006 - Accepted: 8 November 2006 - Published: 22 November 2006

Correspondence to: A. Robock (robock@envsci.rutgers.edu)

Abstract

We use a modern climate model and new estimates of smoke generated by fires in contemporary cities to calculate the response of the climate system to a regional nuclear temporary war between emerging third world nuclear powers using 100 Hiroshima-size bombs (less than 0.03% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal) on cities in the subtropics. We find significant cooling and reductions of precipitation lasting years, which would impact the global food supply. The climate changes are large and longlasting because the fuel loadings in modern cities are quite high and the subtropical lasting solar insolation heats the resulting smoke cloud and lofts it into the high stratosphere, where removal mechanisms are slow. While the climate changes are less dramatic than found in previous "nuclear winter" simulations of a massive nuclear exchange between the superpowers, because less smoke is emitted, the changes are more longlasting because the older models did not adequately represent the stratospheric plume lasting rise.

1 Introduction

The casualties from the direct effects of blast, radioactivity, and fires resulting from the massive use of nuclear weapons by the superpowers would be so catastrophic that we avoided such a tragedy for the first four decades after the invention of nuclear weapons. The realization, based on research conducted jointly by Western and Soviet scientists (Crutzen and Birks, 1982; Aleksandrov and Stenchikov, 1983; Turco et al., 1983; Robock, 1984; Turco et al., 1990; Sagan and Turco, 1990), that the climatic consequences, and indirect effects of the collapse of society, would be so severe that the ensuing nuclear winter would produce famine for billions of people far from the target zones, was an important factor in the end of the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Now the world faces the prospect of many other states developing small nuclear arsenals. Toon et al. (2006) show that the direct effects of even a relatively small number of nuclear explosions would be a disaster for the region in which they would be used. Here we examine the climatic effects of the smoke produced by the fires that would be ignited by a regional conflict in the subtropics between two countries, each using 50 Hiroshima-size (15 kt) nuclear weapons to attack the other's most populated urban areas. Based on the analysis by Toon et al. (2006), such a conflict would generate 1-5 Tg of black carbon aerosol particles injected into the upper troposphere, after the initial removal in black rain.... "

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Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:00:00 GMT

O. B. Toon (1), R. P. Turco (2), A. Robock (3), C. Bardeen (1), L. Oman (3), and G. L. Stenchikov (3):

"Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism

O. B. Toon (1), R. P. Turco (2), A. Robock (3), C. Bardeen (1), L. Oman (3), and G. L. Stenchikov (3)

1. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

2. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, USA

3. Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Received: 15 August 2006 - Accepted: 8 November 2006 - Published: 22 November 2006

Correspondence to: O. B. Toon (toon@lasp.colorado.edu)

Abstract

We assess the potential damage and smoke production associated with the detonation of small nuclear weapons in modern megacities. While the number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen by about a factor of three since its peak in 1986, the number of nuclear weapons states is increasing and the potential exists for numerous regional nuclear arms races. Eight countries are known to have nuclear weapons, 2 are constructing them, and an additional 32 nations already have the fissile material needed to build substantial arsenals of low-yield (Hiroshima-sized) explosives. Population and economic activity worldwide are congregated to an increasing extent in megacities, which might be targeted in a nuclear conflict. Our analysis shows that, per kiloton of yield, low yield weapons can produce 100 times as many fatalities and 100 times as much smoke from fires as high-yield weapons, if they are targeted at city centers. A single "small" nuclear detonation in an urban center could lead to more fatalities, in some cases by orders of magnitude, than have occurred in the major historical conflicts of many countries. We analyze the likely outcome of a regional nuclear exchange involving 100 15-kt explosions (less than 0.1% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal). We find that such an exchange could produce direct fatalities comparable to all of those worldwide in World War II, or to those once estimated for a "counterforce" nuclear war between the superpowers. Megacities exposed to atmospheric fallout of long-lived radionuclides would likely be abandoned indefinitely, with severe national and international implications. Our analysis shows that smoke from urban firestorms in a regional war would rise into the upper troposphere due to pyroconvection. Robock et al. (2006) show that the smoke would subsequently rise deep into the stratosphere due to atmospheric heating, and then might induce significant climatic anomalies on global scales. We also anticipate substantial perturbations of global ozone. While there are many uncertainties in the predictions we make here, the principal unknowns are the type and scale of conflict that might occur. The scope and severity of the hazards identified pose a significant threat to the global community. They deserve careful analysis by governments worldwide advised by a broad section of the world scientific community, as well as widespread public debate.

1 Introduction

In the 1980s, quantitative studies of the consequences of a nuclear conflict between the superpowers provoked international scientific and political debate, and deep public concern (Crutzen and Birks, 1982; Turco et al., 1983; Pittock et al., 1989). The resulting recognition that such conflicts could produce global scale damage at unacceptable levels contributed to an ongoing reduction of nuclear arsenals and improvements in relationships between the major nuclear powers. Here we provide the first comprehensive quantitative study of the consequences of a nuclear conflict between the emerging smaller nuclear states, including the use of a single nuclear weapon by a state or terrorist. Robock et al. (2006) explore the climate changes that might occur due to the smoke emissions from such a conflict.

The potential effects of nuclear explosions having yields similar to those of the weapons used over Japan during the Second World War (WW-II) are, in relation to yield, unexpectedly large. At least eight countries are capable of transport and detonation of such nuclear devices. Moreover, North Korea appears to have a growing stockpile of warheads, and Iran is suspiciously pursuing uranium enrichment - a necessary precursor to weapons construction. Thirty-two other countries that do not now have nuclear weapons possess suffcient fissionable nuclear materials to construct weapons, some in a relatively short period of time. For these nations, a regional conflict involving modest numbers of 15-kiloton (kt, the TNT explosive yield equivalent) weapons to attack cities could cause casualties that exceed, in some cases by orders of magnitude, their losses in previous conflicts. Indeed, in some case, the casualties can rival previous estimates for a limited strategic war between the superpowers involving thousands of weapons carrying several thousand megatons (Mt) of yield. Early radioactive fallout from small nuclear ground bursts would leave large sections of target areas contaminated and effectively uninhabitable. Because of the smoke released in fires ignited by detonations, there is a possibility that 50 to 100 15-kt weapons used against city centers would produce global climate disturbances unprecedented in recorded human history (Robock et al., 2006). An individual in possession of one of the thousands of existing lightweight nuclear weapons could kill or injure a million people in a terrorist attack.

Below we first discuss the arsenals of the existing, and potential, nuclear powers. We then describe the casualties due to blast and to fires set by thermal radiation from an attack on a single megacity with one low yield nuclear weapon. Next we discuss the casualties if current and projected arsenals of such weapons were ever used in a regional conflict. We then discuss the impact of radioactive contamination. Finally, we describe the amounts of smoke that may be generated in a regional scale conflict. At the end of each of these sections we outline the associated uncertainties.

We have attempted to employ realistic scenarios in this analysis. However, we do not have access to the war plans of any countries, nor to verifiable data on existing nuclear arsenals, delivery systems, or plans to develop, build or deploy nuclear weapons. There are obviously many possible pathways for regional conflicts to develop. Opinions concerning the likelihood of a regional nuclear war range from highly improbable to apocalyptic. Conservatism in such matters requires that a range of plausible scenarios be considered, given the availability of weapons hardware and the history of regional conflict. In the present analysis, we adopt two potential scenarios: i) a single small nuclear device detonated in a city center by terrorists; and ii) a regional nuclear exchange between two newly minted nuclear weapons states involving a total of 100 low yield (15-kt) detonations. We do not justify these scenarios any further except to note that most citizens and politicians today are aware of the potential disaster of an Israeli-Iranian-Syrian nuclear confrontation, or a Indian-Pakistani territorial confrontation. Moreover, as nuclear weapons knowledge and implementation proliferates, the possible number and combinations of flash points multiplies. The fact that nuclear weapons of the type assumed here have been used in past hostilities substantiates the idea that such scenarios as we propose are executable.... "

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Us India Nuclear Deal: Green Light in Congress, Red Signal in India

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 10:40:00 GMT

Praful Bidwai in Inter Press Service article:

"Indo-US Nuclear Deal Done; Pleases Few

...

Inter Press Service, 9 December 2006

NEW DELHI - One and a half years after it was signed, the nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and India has received highly qualified approval from U.S. Congress.

As passed by Congress Friday, the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 (PAEC Act) is likely to sharply polarize opinion in India and meet with serious opposition because it contains many restrictive clauses and erodes Indian sovereignty.

The PAEC Act went through Congress after a conference committee of its two chambers reconciled the separate bills they had earlier legislated to waive U.S. laws that prohibit civilian nuclear commerce with a country that is a nuclear weapons-state but has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

In the last lap of its journey, the legislation underwent further changes to dilute its restrictive provisions under the pressure of the Bush administration even as the original four-page bill mutated into a 41-page legal text. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice personally intervened by writing a letter to Congress members urging them to accommodate India's concerns about the conditions sought to be imposed on it...."

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Update Report No.4 Iran 15 December 2006 - Security Council Report

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 11:50:00 GMT

Security Council Report:

"Update Report No.4

Iran

15 December 2006

...Expected Council Action

France and the UK are now sponsoring a draft resolution imposing sanctions against Iran for its non-compliance with previous resolutions from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and Security Council resolutions requesting it to suspend enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

The draft emerged form the P5 and Germany (P5+1) consultations which have been undertaken with varying bursts of intensity since 31 August when the IAEA reported that Iran had failed to meet its obligations under resolution 1696 to suspend enrichment.

The draft resolution is being considered in the Council at the experts level. It seems that there is substantial agreement among the P5+1 on the draft (although some details remain to be agreed). It is expected that the resolution will be put in blue and voted on before Christmas...."

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Nuclear Power in Canada: An Examination of Risks, Impacts and Sustainability

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:00:00 GMT

Mark S. Winfield, Alison Jamison, Paulina Czajkowski, Rich Wong:

"This study examines the environmental impacts of the use of nuclear energy for electricity generation in Canada through each of the four major stages of nuclear energy production: uranium mining and milling; uranium refining, conversion and fuel fabrication; nuclear power plant operation; and waste fuel management. It is intended to inform public debate over the future role of nuclear energy in Canada, and to facilitate comparisons of nuclear energy with other potential energy sources.

The study concludes that no other energy source combines the generation of a range of conventional pollutants and waste streams - including heavy metals, smog and acid rain precursors, and greenhouse gases - with the generation of extremely large volumes of radioactive wastes, that will require care and management over hundreds of thousands of years. The combination of these environmental challenges, along with security, accident and weapons proliferation risks that are simply not shared by any other energy source, place nuclear energy in a unique category relative to all other energy supply options.

In the context of these impacts and risks, nuclear energy cannot be seen as a viable response to GHG emission problems associated with reliance on fossil fuels (e.g., coal) for electricity generation. In addition to the fact that nuclear power is not itself a GHG emission free energy source, a future path based on nuclear energy would simply replace one problem (GHG emissions) with a series of different, but equally unacceptable impacts and risks. These encompass everything from facility reliability and waste management to the potential for catastrophic accidents and nuclear weapons proliferation...."

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Desperate for answers to all-important Iraq riddle

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:10:00 GMT

James Carroll in the Boston Globe:

"IN MYTHOLOGY, when the ancients were desperate for an answer, they would present themselves to the Sphinx and ask their question. The Sphinx would reply with a riddle. The riddle would reveal the needed wisdom. But to go to the Sphinx was an act of desperation because, if you failed to answer the riddle correctly, the Sphinx would kill you....

....So here we are before the Sphinx, with what seems an unsolvable problem. The war is killing our young. The war is devastating the people of Iraq. The war empowers the nihilistic fringe of Islam, which now threatens to ignite the entire Middle East. Because oil is at issue, the global economy is at risk. If America stays in Iraq, the violence will worsen. If America leaves Iraq, the violence will worsen. What can we do to stop this? Even after the Baker commission, no one knows.

For a long time, the Sphinx just looks at us, the famous stare. Finally, the Sphinx offers up the riddle: "I took you into this war. Adjust your thinking about me, and I can bring you out. If you refuse to change, I will destroy you. What am I?"

Once the question is put, the answer is obvious. Nuclear weapons....."

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China's real nuclear capabilities

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:20:00 GMT

David Isenberg at Asia Times:

"WASHINGTON - It is never hard to find someone worrying about China's nuclear weapons. For example, the recent annual report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission says, "Beijing continues to improve its older intercontinental ballistic missiles and seeks to field increasingly mobile, accurate and survivable and therefore more credible ICBMs ... China's newer longer-range [missile] systems will reach many areas of the world ... including virtually the entire continental United States."

Yet it seems that China has more to worry about than the United States, according to another recent report. It found, just like classic "missile gap" alarm of the Cold War, that the US military, intelligence agencies and conservative think-tanks and news organizations are exaggerating China's nuclear-weapons capability to justify developing a new generation of nuclear and conventional weapons...."

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Talk of Satellite Defense Raises Fears of Space War

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:30:00 GMT

Marc Kaufman, Washington Post Staff Writer:

U.S. Says Attacks on Crucial Systems Are Possible, Warns It Would Respond Forcefully

"For a U.S. military increasingly dependent on sophisticated satellites for communicating, gathering intelligence and guiding missiles, the possibility that those space-based systems could come under attack has become a growing worry -- and the perceived need to defend them ever more urgent. And that, in turn, is reviving fears in some quarters that humanity's conflicts could soon spread beyond Earth's boundaries...."

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Investigate Israeli Nuclear Capacity Now

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:40:00 GMT

Petition to Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, IAEA was created by and written by Sergio Yahni (yahni@alt-info.org):

"To

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),

Following comments and remarks during the week of December 10th 2006 by designated US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert concerning the fact that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, we demand that the IAEA commence an immediate and comprehensive investigation into this matter.

We are extremely concerned about the possibility that Israel, a country which refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP), possesses the capacities to develop and export nuclear weapons and technologies.

Moreover, we are concerned that this high level and direct acknowledgement of Israel's nuclear capabilities will drag the Middle East into a nuclear competition, with all of its dangerous implications for the region and for the world.

Sincerely,...."

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Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Fruitful and Happy New Year!

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:50:00 GMT

Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance:

France - Meeting by Coincidence

Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Fruitful and Happy New Year to you ALL, Ak

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