Nuclear Policy News – January 17, 2018

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Top News

Days After Hawaii’s False Missile Alarm, a New One in Japan
The New York Times

North Korean nuclear weapons crisis at a ‘tenuous stage,’ Tillerson says
The Washington Post

Pentagon Suggests Countering Devastating Cyberattacks With Nuclear Arms
The New York Times

Russian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Syria and Iran nuclear deal
Reuters

EAST ASIA

North Korean nuclear weapons crisis at a ‘tenuous stage,’ Tillerson says
The Washington Post 1/16/18
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned that the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons is at a “tenuous stage” and said the time for Pyongyang to show a willingness to talk about denuclearization is now.

Missile Sighting Shows Kim’s ‘Recklessness,’ Tillerson Says
Bloomberg 1/16/18
A North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch in November was witnessed by passengers on a San Francisco-to-Hong Kong commercial flight, highlighting the “recklessness” of Kim Jong Un’s regime, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

Days After Hawaii’s False Missile Alarm, a New One in Japan
The New York Times 1/16/18
Japan’s public broadcaster on Tuesday accidentally sent news alerts that North Korea had launched a missile and that citizens should take shelter — just days after the government of Hawaii had sent a similar warning to its citizens.

Pyongyang calls Trump’s ‘nuclear button’ tweet the ‘spasm of a lunatic’
The Japan Times 1/17/18
North Korea’s state-run media say U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet about having a bigger nuclear button than leader Kim Jong Un’s is the “spasm of a lunatic.”

MIDDLE EAST

Russian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Syria and Iran nuclear deal
Reuters 1/16/18
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the conflict in Syria and the Iran nuclear deal in a phone conversation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE

Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov on Iran, Syria and North Korea
The Moscow Times 1/16/18
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held his annual foreign policy news conference on Monday, speaking for two-and-a-half hours about issues ranging from the Iran nuclear deal to the war in Ukraine and Russia’s gas pipelines to Europe.

SOUTH ASIA

Actually, General Bipin Rawat, nuclear weapons CAN deter war; a deterrence our countries are all too familiar with
The Express Tribune Blogs Shajeel Zaidi
1/16/18
Indian army chiefs rarely make policy statements. Thus, on the rare occasion when they do choose to partake in diplomatic posturing, it is taken very seriously. This is exactly why the DG ISPR and the Defence Minister took very stern notice of General Bipin Rawat’s press statement on January 12th, where he said that his force was ready to call out Pakistan’s “nuclear bluff” and carry out cross-border operations if need be.

U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY

Pentagon Suggests Countering Devastating Cyberattacks With Nuclear Arms
The New York Times 1/16/18
A newly drafted United States nuclear strategy that has been sent to President Trump for approval would permit the use of nuclear weapons to respond to a wide range of devastating but non-nuclear attacks on American infrastructure, including what current and former government officials described as the most crippling kind of cyberattacks.

Pentagon planning two new nuclear weapons: report
The Hill 1/16/18
The U.S. is planning to develop two new nuclear weapons, including a “low yield” warhead, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

OPINION AND ANALYSIS

What America can learn from Hawaii’s mistake
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Karthika Sasikumar
1/16/18
The text message arrived early on the morning of January 13, 2018: “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”

Give Trump new nukes and we are that much closer to war
The Hill Tom Z. Collina
1/17/18
It’s bad enough that President Donald Trump has absolute authority to launch the vast U.S. nuclear arsenal and effectively end the world as we know it.

Would the Air Force Let Airman Trump Near a Nuclear Weapon?
The New York Times Steven Buser
1/17/18
As a psychiatrist for the United States Air Force, one of my responsibilities was evaluating the mental stability of airmen who handled nuclear weapons, using the standards laid out in what is called the Nuclear Personnel Reliability Program.

A nuclear North Korea is bringing back Cold War paranoia
The Washington Post Ishaan Tharoor
1/17/18
Over the weekend, residents of Hawaii received a terrifying emergency alert on their phones: A ballistic missile was incoming.

Rethinking North Korean Sanctions: Lessons and Strategies for Long-Term Planning
38North Kate Hewitt
1/16/18
After North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test on November 29, 2017, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2397, imposing the strongest sanctions on North Korea to date.

SPECIAL INTEREST

Iran Nuclear Deal Still at Risk After Trump Waives Sanctions
Lawfare J. Dana Stuster
1/16/18
Trump Waives Iran Nuclear Sanctions but Deal Remains at Risk

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