Deadlocked Nuclear Talks Resume With Nothing Agreed

UNITED NATIONS – Diplomats charged with halting the spread of nuclear weapons were to reopen negotiations here Tuesday after a three-day break taken after a week of trying but ultimately failing to agree on an agenda for their talks. Delegates at the month-long Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference came close to adopting an agenda last … Continue reading “Deadlocked Nuclear Talks Resume With Nothing Agreed”

John Bolton, Force of Darkness

Memo to: Richard Lugar, chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Re: An Anti-Diplomat at the UN? Dear Senator, you’ve known me for more than 30 years, from your days as Mayor of Indianapolis and my days as associate editor of The Wall Street Journal. When I tell you John Bolton is a true force of darkness, … Continue reading “John Bolton, Force of Darkness”

Commemorating a World War

That the commemoration of the end of World War II is being used to announce the commencement of World War IV is just another one of those little ironies that the Bush administration seems to delight in. The president’s five-day four-nation journey, which takes him to Latvia, Holland, Russia, and the former Soviet republic of … Continue reading “Commemorating a World War”

Badgering the NPT

In her opening statement to the Sixth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons held at UN Headquarters five years ago, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright encouraged conferees to focus on three key issues: how the treaty is working to (a) prevent nuclear proliferation, (b) advance nuclear disarmament, and (c) enhance … Continue reading “Badgering the NPT”

What Is Bush Celebrating in Moscow?

To Americans, World War II ended with the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, following detonation of atom bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9. But for Russians, who did not enter the war on Japan until Aug. 8, 1945, “The Great Patriotic War” ended on May 9, with the surrender … Continue reading “What Is Bush Celebrating in Moscow?”

Iran Defends the NPT

Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi’s address to the Seventh Review Conference of the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons was a diplomatic masterpiece – in sharp contrast to the undiplomatic badgering of the Conferees about alleged “loopholes” in the Treaty by the head of our delegation, Stephen Rademaker. Kharrazi focused on how to strengthen the … Continue reading “Iran Defends the NPT”

Mission Accomplished, Captain Queeg?

Well, here we are, two years out (as they say in Washington) from “mission accomplished,” the president’s now-famous speech during the photo opportunity on an American carrier. The American death toll in Iraq is now 1,585, and the wounded exceed 10,000. The cost is about $300 billion. Somewhere between 140,000 and 150,000 Americans remain in … Continue reading “Mission Accomplished, Captain Queeg?”

Iraq Clouds Blair Victory

LONDON – The invasion of Iraq rebounded a little on the government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to dent his majority as he returned to a third term as prime minister. But it was not serious damage. Iraq did not prevent Blair from returning with a comfortable enough majority, and this is the first … Continue reading “Iraq Clouds Blair Victory”