Kirk Bansak's Blog Entries [Return to My Profile Page]
Naval Clashes and Conspiracies
Kirk Bansak | Nov 12, 2009 |
0 
Provocateurs!
The love-hate triangle between the United States, North Korea, and South Korea continues.
Pyongyang has called its recent naval clash with the South the result of Seoul’s meddling in U.S.-North Korean reconciliation. Referring to the incident as “deliberate, planned provocation” by South Korea, one of Pyongyang’s state-run newspapers reported today, “It goes to show how recklessly crazy the South Korean government is in trying to put a brake on improving relations between North Korea and the U.S.”
This is not the first time Pyongyang has accused Seoul of playing saboteur…
Back on the Same Page
Kirk Bansak | Nov 05, 2009 | 0 
Wi Sung-lac
As the Obama administration closes in on an agenda for bilateral talks with Pyongyang, it looks as though the United States and South Korea are back on the same page after a protracted spell of miscommunication...
3+1 Top Arms Control Quotes
Kirk Bansak | Oct 30, 2009 | 0 As an insightful NOH comment once put it, “Arms control ain't exactly a happening field.” True, parsing delivery vehicle counting rules can be tiresome.
Yet there are those who put vim and verve into even the driest of subjects. These people deserve recognition because, in a town where a lot of people know a lot, sometimes it’s all about, well, the delivery.
My top three arms control quotes from the last month...
New UK Disarmament Group Seeks Unified European Voice
Kirk Bansak | Oct 29, 2009 | 2 A newly created elite group of British cross-party parliamentarians dedicated to multilateral nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation (aptly titled the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation) was officially launched today with a meeting in Westminster. Former Defence Secretary Des Browne is the group’s convener.
Drawing inspiration from America’s Four Horsemen, the British group seeks to secure the world from nuclear dangers. Their plans include reducing nations’ reliance on nuclear weapons and advocating for the CTBT. Yet perhaps their most valuable aspiration is the group’s hope to create a unified European voice.
Ground Control to U.S. and South Korea: Get it Together
Kirk Bansak | Oct 22, 2009 | 0 Are the U.S. and South Korea struggling to effectively coordinate policy on North Korea? Last week Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, applauded the current level of international cooperation on the North Korea issue, but recent interactions between the U.S. and South Korea paint a different picture.
Signs of a potential rift emerged a month ago in the immediate wake of President Lee’s grand bargain proposal, which apparently took U.S. officials by surprise. When asked about Lee’s proposal a day later, Campbell noted that he was not aware of the offer. U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, “I think it's really not for me to comment on the particulars, because it's – this is his policy. These were his remarks.”
What ensued was a tempest of South Korean media speculation about discord between the U.S. and South Korea. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg assured reporters in Seoul that the two sides were on the same page. President Lee left a different impression: “So what if Mr. so-and-so says he is not aware of [the proposal],” he said.
Evidence of a communication gap was again evident earlier this week. In a Washington briefing with South Korean reporters, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Wallace Gregson indicated that Kim Jong-il had invited President Lee Myung-bak to Pyongyang for summit talks. Cheong Wa Dae promptly issued a denial of this claim and suggested a “misunderstanding.” Despite the denial, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo and Korea Times reported that Gregson’s statement has powered a vigorous rumor mill.
As the North's deputy nuclear envoy, Ri Gun, prepares a visit to the U.S. that may lead to bilateral negotiations, the U.S. and South Korea need to coordinate their efforts more carefully, even if the Korean media has overblown the extent of a rift. Negotiation with North Korea will be challenging enough as it is; it need not be further complicated by lack of communication between two allies.
Lt. Gen. Robert Gard on MSNBC
Kirk Bansak | Oct 21, 2009 | 0 The Center's Lt. General Robert Gard appeared Tuesday morning on MSNBC to speak about the importance of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison. Here's a clip of the segment:
U.S.-UAE Nuclear Agreement: Concerns and Reassurances
Kirk Bansak | Oct 15, 2009 | 0 
Secretary Clinton and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan shake on it
As the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) creeps toward its implementation date, officials in the Obama administration continue to support the arrangement. The deal’s unprecedented provisions require the UAE both to join the IAEA Additional Protocol before any licenses can be issued and to relinquish its right to enrichment and reprocessing technologies.
Congress has only two days left in the review period to derail the agreement, which was spawned during the Bush administration and approved by President Obama earlier this year. There are no indications that Congressional opposition is broad enough to halt forward progress.
Nonetheless, concerns have been raised, including about the UAE’s past and present links to Iran, as was illustrated in the October 7 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs…
You Must First Invent the Universe
Kirk Bansak | Oct 15, 2009 | 0 As one of history’s most successful popularizers of astronomy and astrophysics, an award winning author, and an entrepreneur in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, the late Carl Sagan is a true legend. Now, with the help of a passionate fan, Dr. Sagan has made a remarkable debut into the world of music video. Check it out (h/t Wired):
Sagan was an active board member of Council for a Livable World, our sister organization, for many years. Respect.
India Nuclear Debate Demands Watchful Eye
Kirk Bansak | Oct 13, 2009 | 0 On August 26, senior Indian nuclear scientist K. Santhanam publicly questioned the success of India’s 1998 nuclear tests. Calling the thermonuclear experiment a “fizzle,” he endorsed the need for new tests. It has been over a month, but the controversy surrounding his comments has yet to subside. The New York Times even published an editorial yesterday warning adamantly of the danger of new Indian tests. This raises an important question: just how deep are India’s pro-test roots?
Smoke North Korea Out
Kirk Bansak | Oct 02, 2009 | 0 
President Lee Myung-bak
On September 21, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed a “grand bargain” with North Korea. Tired of counterproductive step-by-step negotiations with Pyongyang, Lee’s deal was a one-shot process: complete and irreversible denuclearization in exchange for security guarantees and economic aid.
On September 30, the North responded to the offer, calling it “ridiculous.” Given this response, we should not expect a similar American proposal. Or should we?
