Defense & Security Archive

WASHINGTON — Eleven U.S. states have adopted legislation to divest public pension funds from companies with financial ties to Iran’s petroleum, defense, and nuclear sectors in an attempt to persuade Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program and alleged sponsorship of terrorism. Almost 20 more states are considering similar legislation to supplement existing federal and international sanctions. This is the first time that state investments have been leveraged for nonproliferation goals. During the 1980s, anti-apartheid activists urged state and local authorities and some universities to divest holdings from companies invested in or doing business with South Africa. During the […]

SEOUL, South Korea — The six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program are expected to resume this month after a six-month deadlock. But Washington says many questions remain unanswered regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Last week, North Korea handed over a long-awaited declaration of its nuclear activities dating back to the mid 1980s and also demolished the cooling tower of the disabled Yongbyon nuclear reactor. The disclosure was originally supposed to be submitted by the end of last year. The documentation, which was handed over to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by Pyongyang’s ambassador in Beijing, revealed details of the […]

Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga is accused of committing some truly awful crimes. Forcibly conscripting children as young as 10 into the brutal, tribal combat of eastern Congo tops the list, which is why he was turned over to the International Criminal Court at The Hague in 2006. Lubanga’s trial was supposed to be the ICC’s first case and its first test. But with the trial now indefinitely delayed due to prosecutorial misconduct, the ICC has failed the test. No one should be surprised by this. The problems with the ICC’s ability to try the Lubanga case stem from the prosecution’s […]