The move effectively returns to a 2014 policy that forbade the use of the weapons except in defense of South Korea.
Tag Archives: Arms Control and Limitation and Disarmament
Trump’s Shadow Looms Over Fading Iran Nuclear Talks
With no compromise in sight and Iran making steady progress toward nuclear capability, the Biden administration could soon face a stark choice.
Putin’s Threats Highlight the Dangers of a New, Riskier Nuclear Era
After generations of stability in nuclear arms control, a warning to Russia from President Biden shows how old norms are eroding.
South Korea Inaugurates Yoon Suk-yeol as President
During his inaugural speech, Yoon Suk-yeol said his country would play a greater role in promoting freedom and human rights around the world.
Ukraine’s Battlefield Is Haunted by Putin’s Chemical Weapons Legacy
While the risk remains ambiguous, the Russian leader’s long infatuation with the toxic arms fuels worries that the deadly poisons could be deployed in Ukraine.
This Is What It’s Like to Witness a Nuclear Explosion
I watched a hydrogen bomb detonate. I hope no one ever has to see that sight.
A New Iran Deal Leaves Us Meeker and Weaker
A new pact would strengthen the world’s antidemocratic axis.
Transgender Youths Become a Political Issue in Texas
The transgender youth controversy in Texas; the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida; U.S. policy and North Korea.
Evgeny Maslin, Russian General Who Secured Nuclear Arsenal, Dies at 84
He persuaded Ukraine and other post-Soviet states to give up their weapons, then worked with the U.S. to safeguard and dismantle thousands of them.
Iran Nuclear Deal Nears Completion, but Russia Poses Complication
With the world eager to wean itself from Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine, negotiators appeared close to signing a revived nuclear pact with Iran and lifting sanctions. Then Moscow put up a hurdle.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Means This Cold War Will Be Worst Than the Last
Keep the airspeed, altitude and course steady: That was the mantra for American pilots who regularly encountered Soviet aircraft during the Cold War.
Putin Declares a Nuclear Alert, and Biden Seeks De-escalation
When the Russian leader ordered his nuclear forces into “special combat readiness,” the U.S. could have gone on high alert. Instead, the administration tried not to inflame him.
Putin Spins a Conspiracy Theory That Ukraine Is on a Path to Nuclear Weapons
Russia’s president has made such arguments before, but usually as asides — not as the justification for urgent action in Ukraine.
Shelling Escalates in Ukraine, as Thousands Flee Fearing Attack
Western leaders repeat calls for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. Russia fires missiles in a blunt warning of where the conflict could lead.
Macron Tries to Avert a European War and Reshape European Security
The French president’s shuttle diplomacy this week in Moscow and Kyiv will be a delicate exercise, given European reservations and American resolve.
Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine turned over thousands of atomic weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United States and other countries.
In Responses to Russia, U.S. Stands Firm on Who Can Join NATO
In responses to Moscow’s security demands, the U.S. and NATO rejected a demand that Ukraine never join the alliance but offered more transparency on missile deployments in Eastern Europe.
Can Biden Avert a Crisis With North Korea?
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has done six missile tests this month — equal to all of 2021 — and called on the nation to prepare for “long-term confrontation.”
War Looms Between Russia and Ukraine, but Diplomatic Options Remain
Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are growing, but diplomatic options remain.
NATO and Russia Talk Frankly, but Past One Another for Now
Four hours of frank and serious discussion between Russia and the 30-member alliance leave unanswered whether Vladimir V. Putin will choose diplomacy or war.
The Challenges of Keeping Schools Open
Readers discuss the teacher shortage and conditions in inner-city schools. Also: The nuclear threat; saving the free press; Meredith Willson.
U.S. and Russia Agree to Talks Amid Growing Tensions Over Ukraine
The Biden administration has not said who will lead the U.S. delegation next month as Russian officials demand commitments from NATO.
Why There’s a Growing Push to Ban Killer Robots
A U.N. conference made little headway this week on limiting development and use of killer robots, prompting stepped-up calls to outlaw such weapons with a new treaty.
Scientists Ask Biden to Cut U.S. Nuclear Arsenal
In a letter, the scientists also urged President Biden to declare that the United States would never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
Iran Agrees to Replace Cameras at Nuclear Site but Blocks Images
Iran’s failure to allow the U.N. nuclear agency to fully monitor its nuclear program is hindering talks in Vienna on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal.
South Korea Has Long Wanted Nuclear Subs. A New Reactor Could Open a Door.
The country plans to build a small modular reactor for marine propulsion, raising questions of whether it eventually intends to develop a nuclear submarine despite a U.S. treaty.
Iran’s Nuclear Program Ignites New Tension Between U.S. and Israel
Strains emerged during talks this week after a short period of strong relations between a new Israeli government and new American one.
Iran Nuclear Talks Head for Collapse Unless Tehran Shifts, Europeans Say
In Vienna talks, the new hard-line Iranian government has staked out positions that are incompatible with the 2015 deal, European negotiators say.
Iran Insists on Immediate Lifting of Sanctions as Nuclear Talks Resume
After five months, negotiations on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran resumed in Vienna, but with a harder line from the new Iranian government.
As China Speeds Up Nuclear Arms Race, the U.S. Wants to Talk
The Pentagon thinks Beijing may build 1,000 or more weapons by 2030. But it’s the new technologies that worry strategists.
A Nuclear-Powered Shower? Russia Tests a Climate Innovation.
A remote Siberian town now has its own miniature nuclear plant as a Russian state company tests a new model for residential heating. Some see it as a tool to minimize climate change.
Sunao Tsuboi, 96, Dies; Hiroshima Victim Who Lived to Tell His Story
After suffering through the agony of the attack and its aftermath, he devoted himself to spreading the message that nuclear weapons should be abolished.
Rivals on World Stage, Russia and U.S. Quietly Seek Areas of Accord
There have been a series of beneath-the-surface meetings between the two countries as the Biden administration applies a more sober approach to relations with the Kremlin.
Tsar Bomba Nuclear Test 60 Years Ago Didn’t Make J.F.K. Flinch
A new study offers insights into how the United States reacted to Tsar Bomba, a planet shaker that made the deadly Hiroshima blast look tame.
Iran Will Rejoin Nuclear Talks, Top Negotiator Says
Negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear accord are to resume in November, but it is unclear if the United States will take part in them.
North Korea Displays Missile Arsenal Amid Stalled Talks
The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, says he doesn’t believe the Biden administration’s assertions that it has no hostile intent against his country.
North Korea Missile Tests Are Part of a Familiar Strategy
This is not the first time the North has launched missiles or otherwise shown off its arsenal while suggesting that it was open to talks.
What AUKUS Means for U.S.-China Great Power Competition
As experts hail the AUKUS agreement, the Biden administration should ensure it does not reflect a self-defeating concept of great power competition.
North Korea Dangles Hopes for Summit and End-of-War Declaration
Kim Jong-un’s sister responds to the South Korean leader’s last attempt to put the peace process back on track, but skepticism abounds.
France, Striving for Global Power, Still Struggles to Get It
Though often seen as vanity or pique, France’s assertiveness abroad is calibrated to manage a quandary it has faced since World War II: how to act as an independent power while depending on allies.
North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles Off Its East Coast
The launch on Wednesday was the country’s first ballistic missile test in six months, and violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea Reports Test of New Cruise Missile as Arms Race Intensifies
The test was not a violation of U.N. sanctions but signaled the development of increasingly powerful weapons on the Korean Peninsula.
Iran and I.A.E.A. Reach Last-Minute Deal on Nuclear Monitoring
The temporary agreement should keep Tehran from censure for noncompliance by the nuclear agency, a move that could have derailed already suspended nuclear talks.
North Korea Holds Scaled-Down Parade to Boost National Morale
The parade, which marked the government’s 73rd anniversary, was seen as a celebration of those who have borne the brunt of the regime’s effort to rebuild the economy amid sanctions and the pandemic.
North Korea Restarted Plutonium-Producing Reactor, U.N. Agency Warns
The activities at the sprawling nuclear complex in Yongbyon suggest that the country is once again ramping up its nuclear weapons program.
America Needs to Start Telling the Truth About Israel’s Nukes
This charade doesn’t leave anyone safer. It’s gone on long enough.
Iran Atomic Agency Says It Thwarted Attack on a Facility
The attack was said to have been carried out by a small drone against a manufacturing center used in the production of centrifuges.
After Putin Meeting, a Biden Trait Shows Itself Again: Stubborn Optimism
The president’s insistence on an “optimistic face” could open him up to criticism. But his allies insist it’s an essential ingredient to making progress.
The Biden-Putin Meeting: ‘This Is Not About Trust’
Bret Stephens, Emma Ashford and Stephen Sestanovich discuss and debate the first meeting of Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
Biden and Putin Express Desire for Better Relations at Summit Shaped by Disputes
After their first summit meeting, the two leaders described each other with respect but resolved none of the disagreements that have sent U.S.-Russian ties to their lowest level since the Cold War.