Space for a Negotiated Solution with Iran

On the radar: Recommendations on talks and sequencing; the Goal of a Middle East WMD-Free Zone; Prompt strike and Virginia subs; Air Force positioning on the bomber; Renewing CTR; and Where does the sludge go?

November 7th, 2012 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Marianne Nari Fisher

Reuters headline - “Obama victory opens window for negotiation with Iran” by Marcus George. http://reut.rs/RW4W2q

How to deal with Iran - With election season over, President Obama has space to seek a diplomatic solution that keeps Iran from the bomb. Trita Parsi and Reza Marashi offer recommendations for for to get a deal: seek a comprehensive deal that sequences Iranian concessions with lifting sanctions, open direct talks with Iran, keep P5+1 unity, and do not rely on an ultimatum. Full article at The Huffington Post. http://huff.to/SBpGxo

Confidence before a WMDFZ - Security and political conditions in the Middle East do not currently favor the establishment of a WMD-Free Zone, writes Pierre Goldschmidt of the Carnegie Endowment. However, there are steps that countries can take to add stability in the Middle East and advance the “noble and important goal” of a WMDFZ.

--It is “important to move in the direction of a WMDFZ by adopting confidence-building measures--such as creating first a Nuclear-Test-Free Zone in the Middle East and having the P5 commit to grant legally binding negative security assurances to states in the region. Such actions will enhance the potential for the establishment of a WMDFZ in the Middle East in the future,” writes Goldschmidt. http://bit.ly/Tw4HwP

Talks - “Iran to take part in talks on nuclear-free Middle East” from Adrian Croft at Reuters. http://reut.rs/Xk0Sjk

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Prompt global strike - The Pentagon’s Joint Requirements Oversight Council is reviewing options for using submarines to launch conventional, long-range missiles. Elaine Grossman at Global Security Newswire has the story, noting it is a good bet that Virginia-class attack subs could be pick up this prompt global strike mission. http://bit.ly/RhDYUA

Air Force positioning - Recent statements from Air Force leadership show that the Air Force wants a new bomber but is willing to compromise on the bomber’s nuclear mission if budgets force the issue. “All of these positions are compatible,” writes Matt Leatherman at The Will and the Wallet.

--”The Air Force can prefer full-speed development of the bomber’s nuclear mission even while delaying certification in response to budget pressures and possibly being willing to drop that requirement from this platform if those pressures increase significantly.” http://bit.ly/RFu54D

Event - Joe Cirincione speaks at the World Affairs Councils of America 2012 Conference tomorrow around 11:30am. The theme of this three day conference revolves around Six Top Issues challenging national security. More info here: http://bit.ly/VTca93

Quote - “What the Russians have said in public I think actually shows a lot of overlap with U.S. interests [on Comprehensive Threat Reduction]...They are interested in continuing cooperation and they have reflected positively on the 20-year history of cooperation that we’ve had and the benefits that Russia has received from that,” said Laura Holgate, senior director for WMD terrorism and threat reduction at the National Security Council. Global Security Newswire has the story, pointing out that there could be room for the US and Russia to renew their work on CTR. http://bit.ly/PXhknB

Tweet - @Wellerstein: Reflections on my first year of nuclear secrecy blogging, plus some awesome photos | One Year of Restricted Data http://bit.ly/Tumja9

Radioactive sludge - The U.S. is struggling with efforts to cleanup radioactive waste in tanks at the Hanford nuclear site. After long delays and cost hikes for existing programs, a California start-up is working to get the Department of Energy to adopt a new process for filtering out Hanford’s waste and preparing it for vitrification. So far DOE is not convinced. Matthew Wald at The New York Times discusses the proposed technologies and the problem of getting rid of Cold War nuclear waste. http://nyti.ms/SN7QK9