Obama Foreign Policy Likely to Face Republican Challenges

While foreign policy issues played almost no role in Tuesday's election results, the historic Republican landslide will almost certainly make Barack Obama's vision of a more positive U.S. role in international affairs more difficult to pursue.

China Set to Reassert Clout in World Body

When a U.S. delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing's uncompromising support for Pakistan, the Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcastic remark: "Pakistan is our Israel."

U.S.: Think Tank Calls for “Bold Leap Forward” in India Ties

On the eve of U.S. President Barack Obama's maiden voyage to India early next month, an influential think tank is calling for "a bold leap forward" in ties between the two nations.

Obama Imposes New Iran Sanctions as War Chorus Rises

Amid new calls for Washington to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if its diplomatic efforts at curbing Tehran's uranium-enrichment programme fail, the United States Wednesday imposed unilateral sanctions against eight senior Iranian officials whom it accused of committing "sustained and severe violations of human rights".

EASTERN EUROPE: Unwilling to Back Full Nuclear Disarmament

More than a year ago U.S. President Barack Obama came to Eastern Europe to announce his vision of a world without nuclear weapons. One year later, in the same place, the Czech capital Prague, he signed a deal slashing nuclear weapons stocks with his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev.

RUSSIA: New START May End With a Whimper

Efforts by the U.S. and Russian governments to move speedily towards the abolition of strategic nuclear weapons have hit stumbling blocks and continue to generate debates among experts about the practicality of achieving a nuclear- free world in the near future.

ARGENTINA-BRAZIL: Nuclear Safeguards System an Example for the World

A system of mutual safeguards, created nearly two decades ago by Argentina and Brazil for in-situ verification of the peaceful use of nuclear power in both countries, serves as an international model of transparency and confidence building in this highly sensitive field.

Kazakhstan Leads Battle to Ban Nuclear Testing

The first International Day against Nuclear Testing will be marked Sunday by festivities in Astana, Kazakhstan and major cities around the world, with the goal of raising awareness of the importance of banning nuclear tests and to educate people on the catastrophic effects past tests have had on human beings and the environment.

Obama Resists Pressure for Red Line on Iran’s Nuclear Capability

President Barack Obama's refusal in a White House briefing earlier this month to announce a "red line" in regard to the Iran nuclear programme represented another in a series of rebuffs of pressure from Defence Secretary Robert Gates for statement that the United States will not accept its existing stocks of low enriched uranium.

Chernobyl Effects Could Last Centuries

Almost 25 years after the world’s worst nuclear accident a series of new scientific studies have suggested the effects of the Chernobyl disaster have been underestimated.

Israeli Generals and Intel Officials Oppose Attack on Iran

Pro-Israeli journalist Jeffrey Goldberg's article in "The Atlantic" magazine was evidently aimed at showing why the Barack Obama administration should worry that it risks an attack by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran in the coming months unless it takes a much more menacing line toward Iran's nuclear programme.

IRAN: Eyes on the Skies Over Bushehr Nuclear Reactor

Iran's light water nuclear power plant at Bushehr is preparing to go "live" - again.

Iran Benefits from Arab Disillusion with Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama has suffered a sharp drop in popularity in the Arab world over the past year, and Iran may be reaping the benefits, according to a major new survey of public opinion in five Arab countries released here Thursday.

RIGHTS-JAPAN: Social Fallout of Atomic Bombings Hounds Survivors

With her knees shaking and her heart thudding, Toshiko Hamamako rose to address the audience. But it was more than stage fright.

As Sanctions Rise, China Steps Deeper Into Iran

The European Union's new sanctions against Iran appear to open a new space for eager Chinese companies to expand their investments in a country viewed as a rogue player by much of the western world.

Despite Cuts, Nukes Still Integral to U.S. Security Strategy

The new U.S. plan to maintain and improve its nuclear weapons complex is likely to hinder international efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction, say independent analysts who have watched a series of U.N.-led talks on nuclear proliferation and disarmament for years.

BURMA: Loophole Gives Junta Room to Go Nuclear in Secrecy

Thanks to a loophole in the international regime to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons, military-ruled Burma could very well carry out its reported intent to go nuclear behind a veil of secrecy, free of scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Amiri Told CIA Iran Has No Nuclear Bomb Programme

Contrary to a news media narrative that Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has provided intelligence on covert Iranian nuclear weapons work, CIA sources familiar with the Amiri case say he told his CIA handlers that there is no such Iranian nuclear weapons programme, according to a former CIA officer.

Clues Suggest Amiri Defection Was an Iranian Plant

U.S. officials are explaining Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri's return to Iran as the result of a defector having a change of heart because of his concern about Iranian government threats to his family. Iran and Amiri himself have insisted that it is a simple case of a victim of abduction escaping his captors.

IRAN: Unrest Grows over Economic Woes

Last year's Iranian political demonstrations have given way to economic protests that could prove more worrisome for the Tehran government.

N. Korea Agrees to Talks on Torpedoed Warship

Depending on whom you asked, Friday's statement from the U.N. condemning the "attack" on a South Korean warship was either a victory for those countries seeking to publicly shame North Korea or a failure of the international community to sufficiently assign blame to Pyongyang for the incident.