While Ben Affleck’s Oscar-nominated film Argo has refocused attention on the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, two former hostages argue that the lessons of the crisis are very relevant to modern U.S. policy toward Iran. As the U.S. restarts talks with Iran on February 26, former U.S. hostages Amb. Bruce Laingen and Amb. John Limbert are calling for sustained and comprehensive diplomacy to prevent war and an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Obama Addresses Key National Security Issues in State of the Union
“Lessening the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons usable materials is a vital national security and fiscal priority,” said Kingston Reif, director of non-proliferation programs at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “There is an emerging bipartisan and military consensus that a significantly smaller stockpile would meet our security needs. In this time of economic uncertainty, further reductions with Russia could create significant cost savings that would free funding for higher priority security programs.”
U.S. Nuclear Strategy to Make State of the Union – That’s a Good Thing
“I’ve been working on this issue for more than three decades and I’ve seen a continuous progression within the mainstream of both parties moving toward a safer world with fewer nuclear weapons,” said John Isaacs, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and Council for a Livable World.
Fact Sheet on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT)
Part of President Obama’s ambitious arms control agenda is a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT) that would ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons purposes. In this new factsheet, Kingston Reif and Madeleine Foley examine the purpose, background, politics, and challenges of the FMCT.
On Hagel, Kerry, and Iran (But not necessarily in that order…)
Two more pieces in PolicyMic this week, so be sure to take a look. You can find the links and a couple of clips below.
