By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN)— The United Nations, which has been brought to a virtual standstill because of an upsurge in coronavirus infections in New York City, has been forced to postpone a long-awaited 10th review conference (REVCON) of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), scheduled to take place 4-28 January. Diane Barnes, NGO Liaison […]
Stockholm Initiative Determined to Achieve the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | STOCKHOLM (IDN) — The 16-nation Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament has urged the upcoming Tenth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) from January 4-28, 2022, “to demonstrate political leadership, honour commitments and achievements made under the Treaty, and set ourselves on a decisive path towards a world free […]
The Challenge of Nuclear Submarine Proliferation
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — While many well-meaning experts have written legal, policy and technical tomes on how to verify naval nuclear fuel and to convert such fuel from weapon-grade highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU), the unfortunate reality remains that none of the nuclear navies using HEU are interested in […]
Driving Nuclear Submarines Through IAEA Safeguards!
By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA (IDN) — Let me start with giving the “bottom line” of this assessment. While many well-meaning experts have written legal, policy and technical tomes on how to verify naval nuclear fuel and to convert such fuel from weapon-grade highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU); the unfortunate reality remains that […]
Achieving The Possible Against the Odds: “A Middle East Nuclear and WMD Free Zone”
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf[1] VIENNA (IDN) — In normal times, the second session of the “United Nations Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction”, scheduled to take place from 29 November to 3 December 2021, would have been an in-person event at the […]
Australia Censured For ‘Abandoning’ Pacific Nuclear-Free Pact
By Asia Pacific Report Newsdesk SUVA (IDN) — Australia needs to be put on notice by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders over abandoning its commitments under the South Pacific’s nuclear free accord— he Treaty of Rarotonga—by signing up to the controversial security pact, AUKUS, says the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG). The deal by the […]
North Korea Flexes its Nuclear Muscles – and Defies the Western World
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) – North Korea, long dubbed as a “hermit kingdom” has continued to remain cut off from the rest of the world—politically, economically and geographically. But neither rigid sanctions, nor international isolation and growing food insecurities, have prevented the country—officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)—from making […]
Australia’s Nuclear-Powered Submarines Will Risk Opening a Pandora’s Box of Proliferation
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. VIENNA (IDN) — After first suffering a seeming “brain snap” to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) some years back, at long last Australia has been promised a fleet of eight SSNs by the Biden […]
UN Warned of an Impending Threat from a Climate-Nuclear Nexus
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — When the United Nations hosted a high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament on September 28, the annual event was characterized by one underlying fact: the participation for the first time of young climate activists who warned of an impending threat from a Climate-Nuclear nexus.
Two Tracks Out of North Korean Nuclear Crisis
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — On September 15 news broke that North Korea had test-fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast. On the same day, South Korea announced it had successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The dangerous arms race between the contestants in what is in effect a civil war […]