Abe to Join Obama in Hiroshima

Abe to join Obama - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided that he will also issue a message calling for nuclear disarmament along with U.S. President Barack Obama when the two leaders visit Hiroshima on Friday… Abe aims to boost once again the momentum for nuclear disarmament as the leaders of the only country that has used nuclear weapons and the only country hit by atomic bombs will together call on the international community to work toward a world without these weapons,” according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.

--“Abe said he hopes that Obama’s visit to Hiroshima will serve as ‘an opportunity in which both Japan and the United States will honor all lives lost.’ The prime minister is expected to express this view when he delivers his message on Friday.” Read the full story here. http://bit.ly/1sO06Oc

See also - “Over Seventy Prominent Scholars and Activists Urge Obama to meet Hibakusha, Take Further Steps on Nuclear Disarmament,” by Kevin Martin for Peace Action’s Groundswell. http://bit.ly/1OJVlJR

Tweet - @BulletinAtomic: .@POTUS in Hiroshima-We're reposting our best #Hiroshima coverage this week.Check it out at http://thebulletin.org/

A New approach to NATO’s nukes - “While traditional anti-nuclear advocacy focuses on the strategic futility of nuclear weapons… movements such as Global Zero and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) tend to emphasize a different line of argument. These activists want ‘the use of nuclear weapons [to] be declared a crime against humanity’ and have pushed for ethics and international humanitarian law to take more central roles in discussions about nuclear weapons,” writes Lauren Sukin for Defense One.

--“A 2008 report by the U.S. Air Force indicated that most European nuclear storage sites were insufficiently protected, while in 2010 peace activists were able to break into Kleine Brogel Air Base and film nuclear storage bunkers without being apprehended, raising questions about whether more malicious actors could obtain access just as easily… If these concerns can be framed as humanitarian issues — rather than as one more factor in an argument about the strategic worth of nuclear weapons — that might be enough to motivate disarmament. ” Full article here.http://bit.ly/1U9e5qr

Editor’s Note: On Friday, look for a special edition of Early Warning with news and analysis on President Obama’s trip to Hiroshima.

Tweet - @KingstonAReif: SASC #FY17NDAA mandates continuing MOX. Coupled w/action of other committees, admin proposal to shutdown rejected.

U.S. and Iran must honor agreement - “Ordinary Iranians have gotten a psychological boost from the political opening accompanying the nuclear deal and welcome the distance from the shadow of war. They continue, however, to face huge economic hardships and to see the benefits from the nuclear deal as lopsided. While recent parliamentary elections ought to have boosted President Hassan Rouhani’s confidence in regard to the JCPOA, several political advisers close to his administration told Al-Monitor that he is under severe scrutiny from opponents as well as supporters to show economic dividends from negotiations with the West.” Full story from Ellie Geranmayeh for Al-Monitor here. http://bit.ly/1TU65qC

Behind the attacks on the Iran Deal - “Neoconservatives are furious that their efforts to trick the country into another unnecessary war in the Middle East failed. They spent tens of millions of dollars in an orchestrated campaign to kill diplomacy with Iran. They lost. The nuclear agreement with Iran is in place and working. It has prevented an Iranian bomb and prevented a new war. They can’t stand it. Over the past few weeks they have launched a wave of attacks on those they hold responsible for thwarting their plans,” writes Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione. Read the full piece here. http://huff.to/1TuNDY1

Need for urgency in U.S.-China relationship - “The governments of the United States and the People’s Republic of China are a few poor decisions away from starting a war that could escalate rapidly and end in a nuclear exchange. Mismatched perceptions increase both the possibility of war and the likelihood it will result in the use of nuclear weapons. Miscommunication or misunderstanding could spark a conflict that both governments may find difficult to stop,” writes Greg Kulacki in a report for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

--“As long as both sides remain committed to pursuing technical solutions to their unique strategic problems, they are condemned to continue competing indefinitely. But stalemate is not a stable outcome; rather, it is a perpetual high-wire act… Establishing the trust needed to have confidence in diplomatic resolutions to the disagreements, animosities, and suspicions that have troubled leaders of the United States and the PRC for almost 70 years is extremely difficult when both governments take every new effort to up the technological ante as an act of bad faith.” Full report here. http://bit.ly/1TUcy4F

Threat of Nuclear Terrorism in Middle East - “Despite the achievements of the Nuclear Security Summits, the threat of nuclear terrorism is not necessarily diminishing. In the Middle East, nuclear terrorism seems a particularly immediate concern. True, the region lacks large quantities of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. But its political instability and its tendency toward violent extremism are conditions that can enable nuclear terrorism,” writes Nilsu Goren for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

--“According to the 2016 Nuclear Security Index, published by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Middle Eastern nations rank poorly when it comes to safeguarding their nuclear materials from theft. Of the 24 countries that possess at least 1 kilogram of weapons-usable nuclear materials, two are Middle Eastern: Israel and Iran… These nations must develop robust laws regarding nuclear security. They must establish procedures for secure interim storage of nuclear materials. And they must make final disposition plans for spent fuel and radioactive waste.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1syRvOR

UK doesn’t need Trident - “It’s hard to make a moral or strategic case for Trident, so its cheerleaders have resorted to metaphor. Trident, we’re told, symbolises Britain’s place in the world… Perhaps Trident is really a symbol of the era of late capitalism, where most things we buy are unnecessary to the point of ludicrousness. Persuading austerity Britain to spend billions on Trident is like convincing a tramp he needs a bazooka,” writes Frankie Boyle for The Guardian. http://bit.ly/245QGZz

Quick Hits:

--“The Hiroshima Mushroom Cloud That Wasn’t,” by William J. Broad for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1TU3tcf

--“Obama in Hiroshima: the Last Best Chance to Step Back Away From the Nuclear Precipice,” by David Krieger for CounterPunch. http://bit.ly/1U7GF8D

--“What you need to know about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima,” by Julie Makinen for The Los Angeles Times. http://lat.ms/22nAkwc

--“House Defense Bill Includes Several Iran-Related Provisions,” by Ryan Costello for NIAC. http://bit.ly/1Trj4CA

--“U.S. would back a rethink of Japan’s plutonium recycling program: White House,” reports The Japan Times. http://bit.ly/1Wfy3Da

--“Hopes for nuclear-free world as Obama goes to Hiroshima,” an interview with Daryl Kimball by Yi Yong-in via The Hankyoreh. http://bit.ly/1Tw0rLz

--“Stimson Center offers A-bomb damage assessment photos to Hiroshima museum,” via The Japan Times. http://bit.ly/1TKdUmA

Events:

--“Overseas Contingency Operations: Long-term Impacts and Alternatives.” May 24 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. at the Stimson Center, 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW, Eighth Floor, Washington. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/1V95MNs

--“Budget Futures: Some Assessment of the Nuclear Enterprise and Missile Defense,” with Todd Harrison, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Evan Montgomery, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. Part of the Huessy Congressional Breakfast Series. May 26 at 8:00 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington. RSVP online. http://conta.cc/25ULZFH

--“From Politics to Diplomacy: The Unexpected Life of America's Lead Negotiator with Iran,” featuring Ambassador Wendy Sherman. May 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1Ubt8Qf

--“Global Nuclear Challenges and Solutions for the Next U.S. President,” with Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President, and Setsuko Thurlow, Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, and seven other speakers. Presented by the Arms Control Association. June 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Endowment, Root Room, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/23rIEK8

Edited by