Archivo de la etiqueta: NATO

B61 nuclear bombs in Turkey

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B61 nuclear bombs in storage

Turkey’s Future (American) Nuclear Weapon

If everything goes to plan, Turkey will receive the United States’ newest nuclear weapon in 2019. Turkey currently hosts between 60 and 70 B61 gravity bombs at Incirlik air force base. During the Cold War, Turkish aircraft were on full nuclear alert status – meaning that Turkish aircraft were loaded with nuclear weapons and ready to take to the air in minutes, should NATO give the order. Now Turkish F-16 are only nuclear certified and would have to fly to Incirlik and pick up the bombs.

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What’s behind the conflict on the Korean Peninsula?

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panmunjom.si South Korean soldiers stand guard in fog at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea (AFP Photo / Jung Yeon-Je)

What’s behind the conflict on the Korean Peninsula?

Alexei Fenenko, Valdai, April 19, 2013

This spring has been marked by an unprecedented escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula. The crisis began when North Korea launched the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite on December 12. The UN Security Council accused North Korea of conducting a covert ballistic missile test and imposed fresh sanctions on the country. North Korea responded by testing its third nuclear device: a roughly 5 kiloton bomb was detonated on February 12. On March 11, Pyongyang announced its withdrawal from the 1953 armistice agreement. On March 30, North Korean leaders declared that the country was entering a “state of war” with the South. While there is no imminent threat of armed conflict between the two Koreas, it is now much more likely than it was one and a half or two years ago.

The present situation differs from the “nuclear alarms” of 1994 and 2003. In those cases, it was the United States who threatened North Korea with air strikes on its nuclear facilities, whereas now the United States, as well as their allies in the region, Japan and South Korea, are reacting to Pyongyang. Our understanding of when a nuclear weapon could be used, formed in the second half of the 20th century, is less and less relevant in today’s political reality.

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Iraqi Kurds urge US neutrality in oil dispute

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“Oil and Gas – Riches and Risks of Iraq’s Kurdish Autonomy”, by Aygul Taghiyeva, August 7, 2012

Iraqi Kurds urge US neutrality in oil dispute

Desmond Butler, The Associated Press,  April 12, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraq’s northern Kurdish region is pressing the Obama administration to remain neutral in a sensitive dispute with the Iraqi central government over whether it can export oil and gas without Baghdad’s approval.

The Kurdish Regional Government’s Energy Minister Ashti Hawrami was meeting with Obama administration officials Friday following recent talks with Turkey about completing pipelines over Baghdad’s objections that could vastly expand the Kurds’ ability to directly sell its oil and gas.

The U.S. opposition to the Kurds’ energy deals has put it at odds with its NATO ally Turkey amid concerns that the dispute over dividing Iraq’s immense energy wealth could threaten Iraq’s stability.

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Turkish-US Ties Gain New Depth

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kerry_ahmet_davutoglu_AP709790794542_fullwidth_620x350 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leans over to clasp Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s hand at the end of a news conference at Ankara Palace in Ankara, Turkey, March 1, 2013. / AP PHOTO

Turkish-US Ties Gain New Depth

Semih Idiz for Al-Monitor Turkey Pulse Posted on April 12

There was much speculation in February that Turkish-American ties were heading for the doldrums after the barbs exchanged between Washington and Ankara over remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu about Israel and Syria, as well as comments by US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone criticizing the Turkish judicial system.

I nevertheless suggested in a piece for Al-Monitor (Feb. 8) that the chill in ties would pass because neither side could really afford to harm a strategic relationship of 50 years standing, which in fact has weathered worse storms. There are still nuanced differences, of course, between the sides on specific issues; for example on how to approach the Syrian crisis, as well as disagreements concerning Turkey’s growing ties with the Iraqi Kurds in the energy field.

It was clear at the time, though, and still is, that the situation in the Middle East would ensure that neither Ankara nor Washington could push any differences they had beyond a certain point. It is obvious from today’s perspective that any chill in ties there might have been has indeed been overcome.

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Russian Troops To Afghanistan?

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Russian Troops To Afghanistan? Kremlin Confirms The Rumor

The Inquisitr, April 1, 2013

“Russian troops to Afghanistan?” is the latest rumor being spread over the internet. But now the Russian Kremlin is confirming the truth of these rumors, saying they are sending Russian troops to Afghanistan to establish maintenance bases after NATO winds down operations in Afghanistan next year.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, five US soldiers stationed in Afghanistan were recently killed in a helicopter crash. Two US soldiers were killed by an Afghan police officer. Drone strikes have become so unpopular that the US Air Force stopped publishing Afghanistan drone strike data.

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