Quote of the Day
You'd have to be an idiot to trust the North Koreans.
--U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Full Issue
Bush Administration Never Trusted North Korea, Rice Says
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, shown at the United Nations last week, recently defended the U.S. policy toward North Korea in a talk to the Council on Foreign Relations (Chris Hondros/Getty Images).
The Bush administration has demanded verification of North Korea's nuclear operations because only an "idiot" would trust the regime to follow through on its pledge of denuclearization, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in comments released Friday (see GSN, Dec. 19).
Pyongyang signed a deal last year to dismantle its nuclear sector in exchange for a host of concessions from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. However, there have been several snags in carrying out the agreement, most recently on the issue of verification.
North Korea has rejected U.S. assertions that it agreed to collection of nuclear samples as part of the process and has balked at signing a written agreement on verification. Such a document is needed to address "ambiguities" in the verification protocol, which would also involve site visits, interviews with key personnel and reviews of records, Rice said.
Critics Question Army Readiness for Post-WMD-Attack Domestic Patrols
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008
A New Jersey National Guard member observes a WMD-response drill in 2005 (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army's ability to help restore public order after a large-scale domestic terrorist attack -- a mission the president could assign to federal troops during a crisis -- is in doubt, according to a number of critics (see GSN, June 27).
The Defense Department, deeply cognizant of public aversion to martial law, has generally been reticent to discuss the possibility that federal troops might be ordered to patrol U.S. streets following a nuclear, chemical or biological attack.
In fact, the role is extremely limited, reflecting a nationwide preference for disaster control at the local level. Area police, fire and rescue personnel would almost certainly serve as the "first responders" for preventing or containing chaos after an attack, with National Guard troops under state-level control potentially serving as backup.
South Asian Tensions Simmer in Mumbai Aftermath
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008
Indian troops take cover during last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. India has demanded a greater response from Pakistani officials (Sajjad Hussain/Getty Images).
Tensions have grown between the two nuclear-armed rivals in South Asia as Pakistan has not met India's demands to crack down further on groups New Delhi believes to be responsible for last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Time magazine reported today (see GSN, Dec. 8).
Indian officials have reportedly collected evidence that the 10 attackers trained in Pakistan with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, but Pakistan has demanded solid proof before taking additional action against the organization. Lashkar-e-Taiba was already banned in the nation, and authorities have arrested about 60 members of the group and an affiliated organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, both of which have been identified by the U.N. Security Council as having terrorist ties, according to Time.
"Whatever action has been desired by the United Nations, we have taken," said Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
U.S. Prepared to Track Source of Nuclear Strike, Book Says
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
The United States has one air-sampling, "Constant Phoenix" aircraft left in service after deploying 10 during the Cold War (U.S. Air Force).
A new books says that technological advancements have helped to prepare the United States to identify the source of a nuclear weapon used against the nation, MSNBC reported Friday (see GSN, July 22).
“Not only can intelligence help prevent a nuclear terrorist attack, but also in the event one occurs, it may be able to identify the entity responsible and those who contributed, particularly by providing a bomb or components,” intelligence historian Jeffrey Richelson wrote in Defusing Armageddon.
U.S. officials believe that any nuclear-armed terrorist organization is likely to have received the weapon or key parts from a nation rather than through its own efforts, Richelson wrote. The response to an act of nuclear terrorism could be based on determining where the weapon originated. The capability to determine the source could also serve as a deterrent, according to U.S. authorities.
UAE Nuclear Deal Could Ease Iran Nuclear Crisis, Backers Say
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008Supporters of a tentative U.S. nuclear trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates hope the deal could be used as a model to persuade Iran to curb its controversial nuclear activities, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (see GSN, Dec. 16).
U.S., Russia Far Apart on START Successor
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008A disagreement over the scope of U.S.-Russian strategic arms negotiations has stymied efforts to plan for next year's expiration of a major nuclear weapons treaty, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Dec. 15).
Cheney Reaffirms U.S. Nuclear Destructive Power
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney offered tough words to potential U.S. nuclear adversaries as he delivered a spirited defense of executive power during a Fox News interview Friday (see GSN, Dec. 9).