New START & the Resetting of U.S.-Russia Relations

We are happy to serve you a daily summary of the day's top nuclear policy stories each morning, with excerpts from the stories in bullet form.

Stories we're following today: Friday, June 25, 2010

U.S. Senate Must Ratify New START - Lawrence Korb in the Atlanta Journal Constitution [link]

• Verifiably reducing U.S. and Russian arsenals will increase U.S. security both by kick-starting the process of reducing redundant weapons that are a deadly legacy of the Cold War and by adjusting U.S. policy to meet the security challenges of the 21st century: proliferation and the threat of nuclear terrorism.
• To combat this new security landscape, the United States needs to play a leadership role working with Russia and other states whose cooperation will be essential. The threats of proliferation and nuclear terrorism can only be addressed by a multinational effort.
• Unfortunately, it appears likely that some senators will oppose the New START Treaty either because they don’t want to give President Obama a “win” heading into the midterm elections or because of an illogical impulse to oppose or distrust something that the president supports simply because he supports it.
• The New START Treaty would be a “win” for America’s efforts to combat the emerging threats of the 21st century, whether it happens on Obama’s watch or not. That is the type of thing Reagan had the wisdom to recognize, and these were the types of opportunities he seized.

Obama, Medvedev Say They've 'Reset' Relations - Michelle Kelemen in NPR [link]

• President Obama said Thursday that the U.S.-Russian relationship has to be about more than security and arms control, as he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev talked about how they can expand economic ties as well.
• "Our two countries continue to disagree on certain issues, such as Georgia, and we addressed those differences candidly," he said. "But by moving forward in areas where we do agree, we have succeeded in resetting our relationship, which benefits regional and global security."
• Obama says the two countries have put behind them a dispute over U.S. poultry exports, and he recommitted himself to helping Russia join the World Trade Organization. Russia has long sought membership, but U.S. support in the past has come with conditions.
• See Also: Obama, Medvedev Chow Down at Ray's Hell Burger - The Washington Post [link]

Congress Approves New Penalties Against Iran - Associated Press

• Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly passed tough new sanctions against Iran, sending a message to the Tehran government that notions of becoming a nuclear power could be accompanied by a steep economic price.
• The Senate and House in quick succession approved the penalties that focus on Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and the country's imports of gas and other refined energy products.
• The measure now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.

Starting up START Treaty Politics - Steve Clemons of The Washington Note [link]

• When groups start buying full page ads in Politico or any of the other leading political papers like The Hill or Roll Call, it's a sure sign that folks see a policy battle ahead.
• The bipartisan Partnership for a Secure America has today purchased a page in Politico calling for the Senate to ratify the newly negotiated START Treaty. (Here is pdf)
• The world becomes a much more dangerous place -- on lots of levels -- if this treaty is not ratified. Most important I think would be a collapse of confidence by China and Russia in the ability of the US to lead in creating and revitalizing the institutions that help make the global system safer than would otherwise be the case.

Myanmar's Nuclear Ambition is Apparently Real and Alarming - Robert Kelly in the Jakarta Post [link]

• Although Myanmar's pursuit of nuclear weapons has long been rumored, the Democratic Voice of Burma documentary contains new information from a recent defector who provided the DVB with hundreds of photographs, documents, and a view from inside the highly secretive military that should finally put to rest any doubt about Myanmar's nuclear ambition.
• As a former Los Alamos analyst and a director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), I have spent the better part of 30 years investigating allegations of this nature. After a careful review of the information, I became convinced that Myanmar's pursuit of nuclear technology violates the limits imposed on it by its agreements with the IAEA.
• The possibility that Myanmar is trying to build nuclear weapons has been a suspicion for the last decade but now the evidence is much clearer. The world needs to get serious about choking off Myanmar's covert program through export controls via the Nuclear Suppliers Group and strengthening the hand of the IAEA.

World Cup

All Bets are Off in a Multipolar World Cup! - Tony Karon in TIME

• The unceremonious (and richly deserved) dumping of Italy and France out of World Cup 2010, and the travails of England, Germany and Spain -- and arguably even Serbia and Denmark -- are a sign that world soccer has gone multipolar.
• World Cup 2010 seems to have announced the end of world soccer's established order, too...