Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1 to 6 of about 6
The Asia-Pacific region epitomizes the type of proliferation challenges the international community faces.
The current stalemate of the IAEA's investigation of undeclared nuclear activities in Syria is the responsibility of the Syrian government, which buried the remains of its covert nuclear reactor in 2008 and now seeks to bury the IAEA investigation.
Responding to non-compliance is a promising area for progress at the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, because it imposes no additional burden on states that are playing by the rules.
The U.S. and China have developed good relations over the past eight years, but mutual misunderstanding persists. President Obama should recognize the importance of cultivating personal ties with Chinese leaders and visiting East Asia soon after taking office and avoid aggressive public language on hot-button issues.
The next U.S. administration needs a clear strategic vision for Asia befitting the region’s status as the new global “center of gravity.”
Instead of treating nuclear weapons and materials as problems wherever they exist, the Bush administration has pursued a “democratic bomb” strategy, bending nonproliferation rules for friendly democracies and refusing to negotiate directly with “evil” nondemocratic regimes such as North Korea and Iran. This strategy is flawed and counterproductive.