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US, China talk tough on nukes and banks
National Security Council arms control official Pranay Vaddiraised a lot of eyebrows recently by saying the US may need to expand its nuclear arsenal. Citing the expansion and diversification of nuclear arsenals by Russia, China, and North Korea, Vaddi toldthe annual meeting of the Arms Control Association that "more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries.”
In response, an unnamed Chinese embassy representative told Russia’s state-affiliated Tass news agency that Washington is "undermining nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regimes and should stop doing it.” The representative criticized the U.S. for “clinging” to a first-use nuclear policy, withdrawing from arms control treaties and enhancing NATO's nuclear capabilities.
Get ‘em back at the bank. But while China is worried about a potential future war, Western countries are trying to curb Beijing’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sources say the US expects G7 nationsto deliver a stern warning to small Chinese banks to stop providing financial assistance to Russia to wage war on Ukraine. “Our concern is that China is increasingly the factory of the Russian war machine,” said Daleep Singh, US deputy national security adviser for international economics, dubbing Beijing “the arsenal of autocracy.”
Observers don’t expect immediate punitive actions, such as restricting access to the SWIFT messaging system or cutting off access to the dollar. And by targeting smaller institutions instead of larger ones, the G7 seeks to curb support for Russia without causing major disruptions to the global economy. We’ll be watching for the statement – and the fallout - at the upcoming G7 summit in Italy June 13-15.The Graphic Truth: The US-Russia nuclear race
President Vladimir Putin made yet more headlines this week when he announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty, which binds Russia and the United States to limit their strategic nuclear stockpiles. While US-Russia relations have been at rock bottom for some time, this was another indication of how bad things have gotten between the two nuclear heavyweights. We take a look at the US and Russia’s nuclear stockpiles since 1945.
Nuclear arms control: perspective from arms control expert Kelsey Davenport
Arms control expert Kelsey Davenport joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to talk about the world's long fascination with nuclear weapons and how close we still remain to all-out nuclear war. Today's nuclear threat is not about who has the most nukes, it's about who has the smartest ones. Davenport addresses the question: Do nuclear weapons keep us safe?
Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer:
To deal with Iran's nuclear program, diplomacy is the only safe option: Kelsey Davenport
Iran now says it wants to return to the nuclear negotiating table with the US. For nuclear weapons expert Kelsey Davenport, that's still the best possible option for both sides because it'll put the breaks on the atomic program and give the Iranians some badly needed US economic sanctions relief. Diplomacy, she says, is always the best way because when the US and Israel have tried cyber-espionage and killing Iran's nuclear scientists, it's resulted in the Iranians doing exactly what they're not supposed to under the terms of the 2015 deal. "All options are on the table [and] those options are on the table, but they're not good options." She spoke in an interview with Ian Bremmer on an episode of GZERO World.
Watch the episode: Nuclear weapons: more dangerous than ever?
Nuclear nonproliferation has worked so far, but watch out for those questioning it — arms control expert
Nuclear nonproliferation treaties have been a success at stopping the atomic club from growing further by discouraging new membership, but nuclear weapons expert Kelsey Davenport says the slow pace of disarmament "is causing some states to begin to question that bargain." Although it's unlikely that nuke-curious countries will actually get the bomb because it costs too much time, money and resources, Davenport told Ian Bremmer on GZERO World that she believes that simply questioning the benefits of nonproliferation creates a real risk that must be "monitored and mitigated."
Watch the episode: Nuclear weapons: more dangerous than ever?
Nuclear weapons: more dangerous than ever?
In recent years, as nuclear disarmament worldwide has slowed to a crawl, world powers are engaging in a new kind of arms race: a technological one. Today's nuclear threat is not about who has the most nukes, it's about who has the smartest ones. Arms control expert Kelsey Davenport joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to talk about the world's long fascination with these horrible weapons and how close we still remain to all-out nuclear war.
- The new nuclear arms race: Smarter, faster nukes - GZERO Media ›
- The Graphic Truth: Nuclear weapons — who has what? - GZERO ... ›
- Is the Iran nuclear deal dead – again? - GZERO Media ›
- New US president, same old focus on Iranian bomb - GZERO Media ›
- Nuclear weapons could be used; Russia's war gets more dangerous ›
- What happens if Russia nukes Ukraine? - GZERO Media ›
Podcast: Do nuclear weapons keep us safe? An arms control expert weighs in
Listen: Arms control expert Kelsey Davenport joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast to talk about the world's long fascination with nuclear weapons and how close we still remain to all-out nuclear war. Today's nuclear threat is not about who has the most nukes, it's about who has the smartest ones. Davenport addresses the question: Do nuclear weapons keep us safe?
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