Or are Japanese officials just having some fun at his expense? Japanese officials are leaking an account of an exchange between Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Japanese Foreign Minister Okada. The basic story is that Okada on May 15 twice pressed Yang on the subject of reducing China’s nuclear forces — once at a …
Lee Myung-bak's Line Drawn in the Water
by | 2010-05-24 | 8 Comments
The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, has something to say. The complete text will appear in the comments. For now, I’d just like to call your attention to this passage: Fellow citizens, We have always tolerated North Korea’s brutality, time and again. We did so because we have always had a genuine longing for …
Avner Cohen on Israel and South Africa
by | 2010-05-24 | 50 Comments
In the Guardian today, Chris McGreal has a sensationalist treatment of an episode in Israeli-South African relations from 1975. “Revealed: how Israel offered to sell South Africa nuclear weapons,” screams the headline! Subhead: “Exclusive: Secret apartheid-era papers give first official evidence of Israeli nuclear weapons.” The four documents that serve as the basis of the …
Greetings from Tokyo
by | 2010-05-24 | No Comments
I am in Tokyo for the week for a New America Foundation project on extended deterrence. It’s already been totally surreal — Mort Halperin was met by NHK, which is filming him for a documentary. At least we got a free ride to the Hotel Okura out of the deal. The meetings are private, but …
