President Barack Obama is set to announce a new round of strategic nuclear warhead reductions in the near future as part of a disarmament agenda that could reduce U.S. strategic warheads to as few as 1,000 weapons.
The next round of U.S.-Russian arms talks would follow Obama’s expected announcement that the United States’ arsenal of strategic warheads can be reduced unilaterally to around 1,000 warheads. That position is expected as part of the Pentagon’s long-delayed Nuclear Posture Review implementation study that Obama was expected to sign earlier this year.
Recent press reports have indicated that President Obama may make the cuts — fully one-third of the nation’s arsenal — by executive action and without Congressional authorization.
Tag Archives: United States
Could the United States really go to war with China? | Foreign Policy
Posted by Matt
on May 17, 2013
Comments Off
Are we on the brink of a new Cold War? The question isn’t as outlandish as it seemed only a few years ago. The United States is still the sole reigning superpower, but it is being challenged by the rising power of China, just as ancient Rome was challenged by Carthage, and Britain was challenged by Germany in the years before World War I. Should we therefore think of the United States and China as we once did about the United States and the Soviet Union, two gladiators doomed to an increasingly globalized combat until one side fades?
The Unstoppable Force vs. the Immovable Object – by Noah Feldman | Foreign Policy
Wealthy Chinese explore exit strategies, overseas investment – May. 9, 2013
Posted by Matt
on May 9, 2013
Comments Off
The emphasis on wealth preservation dovetails with another survey result: many rich Chinese are thinking about leaving the country.
This year, 60% of high net worth individuals reported some interest in moving abroad. Bain found similar results in 2009.
The results of this trend can be seen in the growing number of Chinese seeking passports in return for investment or job creation in overseas destinations. The United States, Canada, Cyprus and Australia all offer residency programs in exchange for investment.
Wealthy Chinese explore exit strategies, overseas investment – May. 9, 2013
New START Treaty: The unilateral disarming of US nuclear forces
Posted by Matt
on May 7, 2013
Comments Off
In other words, New START provided Moscow an incentive to go up, not down, in strategic nuclear arms. As for the United States, New START will reduce the number of deployed delivery vehicles by about one-fourth. Given these facts, it is perhaps understandable why the new secretary of state chose to say nothing about nuclear reductions, which was, after all, the treaty’s ostensible objective. The one-sided nature of the actual reductions certainly looks more like unilateral disarmament than mutual, bilateral reductions.
Time for Kerry to Face Facts – By Robert Joseph and Eric Edelman | Foreign Policy
North Korea missile can hit US with nuclear warhead, Pentagon report says
Posted by Matt
on May 3, 2013
Comments Off
North Korea’s 950,000-troop military remains dangerous as Pyongyang’s long-range Taepodong-2 missile can reach parts of the United States with a nuclear warhead, according to a Pentagon report made public on Thursday.
The report said North Korea’s Taepodong-2, last used as a satellite launcher, is continuing to be developed as a long-range missile. The missile “could reach parts of the United States if configured as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear payload,” the 26-page report says.
China’s rift with Japan is open challenge to U.S. – The Japan Times
Posted by Matt
on May 2, 2013
Comments Off
The Senkakus (Diaoyu in Chinese) themselves are worth little. Even if their petroleum resources turn out to be significant, the gains would be microscopic relative to China’s gross domestic product. Their military value is marginal. They have played no role in Chinese history, so they lack symbolic significance.
They are, however, geopolitically important in the context of Sino-American rivalry. The United States treats them de facto as Japanese territory. Because Japan is one of America’s few vital allies, provoking Japan over the Senkakus is tantamount to picking a fight with the U.S..
China’s rift with Japan is open challenge to U.S. – The Japan Times
China’s ruthless foreign policy is shaping the world in dangerous ways | Full Comment | National Post
Posted by Matt
on April 30, 2013
Comments Off
Are we witnessing the end of the “American age”? It depends whom you ask. But one thing is certain: Thanks to the near-bankruptcy of the American welfare state, Washington is losing both the means and desire to project power across the world. Inevitably, nations with deeper pockets — China, most notably — will fill the void.
This process already is underway in many parts of the world. That includes large swathes of Central Asia, where Beijing’s billions are beginning to revolutionize regional infrastructure and alliances — in dazzling but potentially dangerous ways.
Analyzing Beijing’s foreign policy is a relatively simple exercise. That’s because, unlike the United States and other Western nations, China doesn’t even pretend to operate on any other principle except naked self-interest.
‘They seem to want to get into a fight’: Asia on guard as China flexes its foreign policy muscles
So does China’s desire to throw its weight around the neighbourhood, make military conflict inevitable? There is certainly genuine concern among China watchers, as the country struggles to find its place in the world. “China reminds me of a teenage 16-year-old boy who has suddenly discovered he is very powerful but has never tested his strength. They seem to want to get into a fight,” said one diplomat.
Asia on guard as China flexes its foreign policy muscles | Full Comment | National Post
Chinese troops continue mobilization along N. Korean border | Washington Free Beacon
Posted by Matt
on April 24, 2013
Comments Off
Reports indicate the People’s Liberation Army is on a very heightened alert status, amid mounting tensions between North Korea and the United States and South Korea.
Several reports were derived from Chinese microblogging sites that in the past have provided reliable information on Chinese military activities.
One April 17 photo showed scores of soldiers marching on a street in the city of Shenyang on the way to Dandong, a major border city on the Yalu River dividing the two countries.
Another posting stated military vehicles carrying tanks were spotted heading to Liaoyang, in Liaoning province, also near the border. The movements were reported by a user who said he was in a logistic unit of a PLA unit in Siping, Jilin province, and added that the troops would be deployed to the border “soon.”
Chinese troops continue mobilization along N. Korean border | Washington Free Beacon
