CND's Press Round-Up - 1st July 2021
Posted: 3rd July 2021
Nuclear Weapons
There is speculation that China is upgrading its nuclear weapons capabilities, whilst tensions grow within the Iranian elite and campaigners draw attention the aftermath of nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Nuclear Weapons – China
Satellite photos appear to show the construction of ground-based ICBM siloes in northwest China, according to The Washington Post. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies claims the new siloes in Yumen resemble existing Chinese nuclear siloes. There is some speculation that the siloes could represent an expansion of Chinese nuclear capacities. China is believed to have a relatively small nuclear arsenal of between 250 to 350 nuclear weapons. The commander of U.S. nuclear forces had previously claimed at a Congressional hearing in April that China was engaged in a ‘breathtaking expansion’ of its nuclear programme. Chinese policy planners have previously refused to engage in a nuclear arms race, pointing to the fact that Russia and the U.S. have together more than 11,000 nuclear warheads.
Incoming Iranian President
Middle East Eye carries a piece on the deep division within Iran’s ruling elite which might complicate negotiations towards a new nuclear deal. In particular, there is expected to be conflict between new President Ebrahim Raisi and the Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has made a number of controversial statements regarding the nuclear programme in recent weeks. During televised debates in June, Raisi openly declared his support for the JCPoA. This has provoked some anger amongst his conservative base of supporters. Raisi will be constrained in office by the role of hardliners in the judiciary and the municipal administration of Tehran.
U.S. Nuclear Testing in the Pacific
The Daily Mail has a piece on the after-effects of U.S. nuclear testing in the Pacific in the 1940s. People indigenous to the Marshall Islands are still displaced by the detonation at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Cancer rates continue to be extremely high. Activists from the Marshall Islands Nuclear Commission are demanding that the U.S. pay for a proper clean up of the 67 nuclear test which took place in the island nation in the space of twelve years. A payment of $150 million was made in the 1980s, but campaigners say this is not nearly enough to address the harm.
Anti-war
The U.S. is beginning its final withdrawal from its Afghan quagmire, a process which could be complete within days.
War in Afghanistan
The final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan could happen within the next few days, according to CNN. The Biden administration began the process in April, with the expectation that it would end in September. Around 1,000 soldiers are expected to remain to guard the U.S. Embassy and Kabul airport. A major Taliban offensive is ongoing, with some arguing that Kabul will fall to the group within months. The U.S’s emphasis now is on keeping the airport open, with talks about a Turkish security presence continuing. A failure to keep the airport open would mean the closure of most foreign embassies.
Right to Protest
A cross-party group has drawn attention to draconian policing ahead of the Bill being debated on Monday.
Kill the Bill Movement
The Evening Standard reports on a review of policing tactics in the days after the Sarah Everard murder by a group of parliamentarians. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and the Constitution said that ‘fundamental rights’ had been violated by the conduct of the Metropolitan Police and its officers. One woman, Patsy Stevenson, who was arrested and subsequently fined at the Clapham Common vigil is intending to take legal action against the force. A previous review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary was perceived at the time as a white-wash. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will be debated in Parliament on Monday.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
There is speculation that China is upgrading its nuclear weapons capabilities, whilst tensions grow within the Iranian elite and campaigners draw attention the aftermath of nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Nuclear Weapons – China
Satellite photos appear to show the construction of ground-based ICBM siloes in northwest China, according to The Washington Post. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies claims the new siloes in Yumen resemble existing Chinese nuclear siloes. There is some speculation that the siloes could represent an expansion of Chinese nuclear capacities. China is believed to have a relatively small nuclear arsenal of between 250 to 350 nuclear weapons. The commander of U.S. nuclear forces had previously claimed at a Congressional hearing in April that China was engaged in a ‘breathtaking expansion’ of its nuclear programme. Chinese policy planners have previously refused to engage in a nuclear arms race, pointing to the fact that Russia and the U.S. have together more than 11,000 nuclear warheads.
Incoming Iranian President
Middle East Eye carries a piece on the deep division within Iran’s ruling elite which might complicate negotiations towards a new nuclear deal. In particular, there is expected to be conflict between new President Ebrahim Raisi and the Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has made a number of controversial statements regarding the nuclear programme in recent weeks. During televised debates in June, Raisi openly declared his support for the JCPoA. This has provoked some anger amongst his conservative base of supporters. Raisi will be constrained in office by the role of hardliners in the judiciary and the municipal administration of Tehran.
U.S. Nuclear Testing in the Pacific
The Daily Mail has a piece on the after-effects of U.S. nuclear testing in the Pacific in the 1940s. People indigenous to the Marshall Islands are still displaced by the detonation at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Cancer rates continue to be extremely high. Activists from the Marshall Islands Nuclear Commission are demanding that the U.S. pay for a proper clean up of the 67 nuclear test which took place in the island nation in the space of twelve years. A payment of $150 million was made in the 1980s, but campaigners say this is not nearly enough to address the harm.
Anti-war
The U.S. is beginning its final withdrawal from its Afghan quagmire, a process which could be complete within days.
War in Afghanistan
The final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan could happen within the next few days, according to CNN. The Biden administration began the process in April, with the expectation that it would end in September. Around 1,000 soldiers are expected to remain to guard the U.S. Embassy and Kabul airport. A major Taliban offensive is ongoing, with some arguing that Kabul will fall to the group within months. The U.S’s emphasis now is on keeping the airport open, with talks about a Turkish security presence continuing. A failure to keep the airport open would mean the closure of most foreign embassies.
Right to Protest
A cross-party group has drawn attention to draconian policing ahead of the Bill being debated on Monday.
Kill the Bill Movement
The Evening Standard reports on a review of policing tactics in the days after the Sarah Everard murder by a group of parliamentarians. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and the Constitution said that ‘fundamental rights’ had been violated by the conduct of the Metropolitan Police and its officers. One woman, Patsy Stevenson, who was arrested and subsequently fined at the Clapham Common vigil is intending to take legal action against the force. A previous review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary was perceived at the time as a white-wash. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will be debated in Parliament on Monday.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament