TOP NEWS Prospect of a nuclear war ‘higher than it has been in generations’, warns UN UN News US senators press energy chief to reveal details of nuclear cooperation with Saudis RT Event – Future of Arms Control Center for Strategic and International Studies Multilateral Arms Control Prospect of a nuclear war ‘higher than it has been in generations’, warns UN UN News4/2/2019 The warning came from Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, in a meeting convened in support of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), ahead of the next conference to review the historic accord, scheduled for 2020. Heiko Maas says ‘world peace threatened by nuclear weapons’ Deutsche Welle4/2/2019 German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who led his second meeting as head of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, told representatives that “world peace is threatened by nuclear weapons.” Speaking in New York, he said that the ultimate goal of ridding the world of nuclear weapons was a “difficult topic,” but added that this is exactly why it is important that the Security Council address it. The body has not dealt with the issue since 2012. East Asia U.N. nuclear watchdog could be in North Korea within weeks of a deal Reuters4/2/2019 The United Nations atomic watchdog said on Tuesday that if a deal was reached with North Korea to give up its nuclear program then it would be ready to send in inspectors within weeks – if asked – to verify and monitor denuclearization. Missile-tracking aircraft arrives on Okinawa amid fears N. Korea may lift testing moratorium Stars and Stripes4/2/2019 A U.S. reconnaissance aircraft that specializes in surveilling and collecting data on ballistic missiles has arrived on Okinawa amid fears that North Korea may be planning to resume test launches. Middle East U.S. senators seek details on nuclear power cooperation with Saudi Arabia Reuters4/3/2019 U.S. senators from both parties on Tuesday asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry for details about recent approvals for companies to share nuclear energy information with Saudi Arabia, with the lawmakers expressing concern about possible development of atomic weapons. US senators press energy chief to reveal details of nuclear cooperation with Saudis RT4/3/2019 Secretary Perry had issued seven so-called ‘Part 810 authorizations’ to US companies, allowing them to export “unclassified civil nuclear technology” to Saudi Arabia. The details of the deals, however, have not been made public out of fear that they might reveal “proprietary business information.” While the Department of Energy stressed that “no enrichment or reprocessing technology” was shared with the Gulf kingdom, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have written a letter to Perry, giving him until April 10 to provide them with details of the authorizations, Reuters and The Washington Post have learned. A year after US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran digs in The Interpreter4/2/2019 Nearly a year after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it is loudly proclaiming the harsh impact of reinstated US secondary sanctions on the Iranian economy. As a result of reduced revenues, US officials assert that Iran is under increasing pressure to scale back its support for proxy groups that have widened Iran’s regional reach. Israeli should join treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons: Kuwait Gulf Times4/3/2019 Kuwait on Tuesday reiterated that Israel should join the Non-Proliferation Treaty and should also subject all its nuclear sites to review, expressing concern that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has not joined the Treaty. He lamented the world still faces the menace of proliferation of nuclear weapons… ‘The people of our region are still yearning for the implementation of the resolution of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference of 1995 on creating a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction,’ he said. Russia/FSU/Europe 3 Ways Europe Is Looking at a Fraying NATO Defense One4/2/2019 When 29 foreign ministers gather this week to mark NATO’s 70th birthday in Washington, D.C., their bonhomie will seek to mask important divisions within the alliance, not only across the Atlantic but also within Europe. In Paris, the talk is all about strategic autonomy. In Berlin, the focus is on strategic patience. In Warsaw, the buzzwords are strategic embrace. Opinion and Analysis Could a U.S.-Russian Deployment Ban Avoid a Nuclear Arms Race in Europe? The National Interest – David Cooper4/2/2019 The Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty expires in August when the American decision to withdraw takes effect. This will give Washington and Moscow free reign to develop and deploy land-based, intermediate-range missile (IRM) systems for the first time in more than three decades. Special Interest Event – Future of Arms Control Center for Strategic and International Studies TODAY – 4/3/2019 Arms control and the nonproliferation regime are being challenged on multiple fronts. U.S.-Russia bilateral cooperation on arms control stalled under the cloud of INF violations by Russia and withdrawal by the United States. Prospects for even simple extension of the New START Treaty appear grim. If New START expires in 2021 without extension or replacement the United States may find itself for the first time in over fifty years without any formal, treaty-based limits on strategic nuclear weapons capabilities. This uncertainty combined with nuclear modernization programs in U.S., Russia and China raise important questions about the future strategic stability, force modernization and arms control. Please join PONI on April 3, 2019 for a half-day conference from 1-6pm to explore the future of arms control. The conference will be followed by a reception.