Quote of the Day
We’re not going to hell in a hand basket. ... There is reason to believe that we can succeed in preventing acts of nuclear terrorism and further nuclear proliferation.
--Nuclear proliferation expert Michael Krepon, following the release this week of the WMD Commission report.
Top Stories
Analyst Takes Issue With Estimate of WMD Risk
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008
A bipartisan commission, led by former senators Jim Talent (left) and Bob Graham (at microphone), released a report this week warning that terrorists would probably conduct WMD attacks in the next five years if nations fail to take action (Win McNamee/Getty Images).
WASHINGTON -- A longtime expert on nuclear threat reduction is questioning a finding released this week asserting the likelihood that a weapon of mass destruction will be used somewhere around the globe within the next five years (see GSN, Dec. 2).
The projection, offered Tuesday by the congressionally mandated Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, was that “unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.”
“The terrorism report … scared the pants off of most of us in the past couple of days,” Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said at a conference on nuclear deterrence this morning.
Israel Drafting Blueprint for Iran Attack, Report Says
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit yesterday expressed support for efforts to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/Getty Images).
Israel's military is drafting a plan to unilaterally attack Iranian atomic sites capable of supporting nuclear weapons development, the Jerusalem Post reported today (see GSN, Dec. 3).
Still, Israel hopes it would conduct any potential air strike on Iran with support from the United States, which shares Tel Aviv's concern that Tehran's nuclear program could be aimed at building a nuclear bomb (see GSN, Nov. 26). Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
"It is always better to coordinate," a high-level Israeli defense official said last week. "But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination."
North Korea Nuclear Talks Still on for Next Week, South Says
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008
Negotiators from six nations met in July to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization. The sides plan to meet again on Monday (Greg Baker/Getty Images).
While host country China has yet to confirm the session, diplomats from six nations are expected to gather Monday in Beijing for the latest round of talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear sector, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Dec. 3).
"Since the six parties have all agreed to resume the talks on Dec. 8, I expect them to resume as scheduled," South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters.
A flurry of activity has preceded the anticipated session. After meeting this week with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea, top U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill was in Singapore today for talks with North Korean envoy Kim Kye Gwan.
Recent Stories
U.S. Seeks to Manage India-Pakistan Tensions After Mumbai Attack
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited New Delhi yesterday, in part to minimize the potential for violence between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan after last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 3).
Chemical Weapons Disposal Delay "Unacceptable," Senator Says
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008A nearly two-year delay in completion of chemical weapons disposal in Colorado is "unacceptable," U.S. Senator Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) said yesterday in a letter to the Defense Department (see GSN, Nov. 26).
Kansas Selected to Host Biological Defense Lab
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008The U.S. Homeland Security Department has endorsed Kansas as the home to a planned $450 million biological defense laboratory, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 24, 2007).
22-Year Sentence Reinstated for Would-Be LAX Bomber
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008A U.S. federal court in Seattle yesterday reinstated a 22-year prison sentence for a man trained by al-Qaeda and convicted of plotting a bomb attack on the Los Angeles International Airport, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 17, 2007).
India, Russia to Sign Nuclear Plant Deal Tomorrow
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008Russia would provide India with four nuclear power reactors under a deal scheduled to be signed tomorrow, Agence France-Presse reported. Russian President Dimitry Medvedev is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi tonight for the signing ceremony (see GSN, Nov. 18).
Tennessee Community Encounters Errors at BW Response Drill
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008Health officials in one Tennessee county encountered organizational problems and record-keeping snags during a Tuesday exercise aimed at preparing them to distribute medication after a biological-weapon attack, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported (see GSN, Oct. 26, 2007).
U.S. Scientists Propose CW Decontamination Wipes
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008A team of U.S. scientists has recommended pursuing a portable wipe capable of neutralizing mustard agent and other dangerous chemicals, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced yesterday (see GSN, June 13).