For those of you who are interested in arms control and disarmament, the most recent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SPIRI) yearbook was publishedearlier this month. You can access it here. It is one of the most reliable and respected sources of global information on arms flows and conflict resolution.
International tensions are escalating over Syria. Turkey is mobilizing forces along the Syrian border and NATO has backed Turkey in its dispute with Syria over the downed Turkish fighter plane. The Russians are trying to explore options with Kofi Annan’s peace plan, and Assad is remaining totally defiant. An escalation of violence would bring in Iran and most likely Israel. If there ever was a time for high-power diplomacy, now is the time; it does not, however, appear to be in the cards.
Stephen Walt has an interesting essay on the strategic consequences of an Iranian nuclear bomb. The argument that nuclear weapons are inherently stabilizing is an idiosyncratic one, but it is certainly intriguing (and not completely off the wall). Give this essay a close read and see where the logic takes you.
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