Sergey Lavrov has a really good essay in _Russia in Global Affairs_. Here is an excerpt…

bq. It is *gratifying* that in the course of the current U.S. presidential campaign *voices are growing louder in favor of preserving and developing the disarmament and arms control process*. Such cooperation *alone* would be enough to *ensure stability* for our bilateral relations, until there is mutual readiness for their substantial modernization in accordance with the requirements of the times.

“The whole thing is worth a read”:http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/numbers/24/1210.html. And not just because he manages to quote Henry Kissinger, Condi Rice, and the Russian poet “Fyodor Tyutchev”:http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Fyodor_Tyutchev, as well as invoke de Tocqueville alongside Richard Haass…. all in one article. In any case, I guess he decided not to try to get it into _Foreign Affairs_ after the “fiasco”:http://www.foreignaffairs.org/press/lavrov with “this article”:http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/e78a48070f128a7b43256999005bcbb3/8f8005f0c5ca3710c325731d0022e227?OpenDocument last summer.

Finally, he has a good point in this most recent essay about keeping security architecture projects like missile defense deployment and NATO expansion “frozen where they are now” for the time being. But some things, alas, are “frozen no more”:http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/47165.html.

To complement a recent post by Pavel Podvig on the “massive subsidy to Rosatom”:http://russianforces.org/nuclear/2008/07/massive_subsidy_to_rosatom.shtml, here is a quick take on Russia’s nuclear energy development plans (or dreams, whatever) from the Russian Ministry for Economic Development’s draft Concept-2020.

Russia will become a *global player* in the nuclear sector if by 2012–2015 it enhances the total capacity of its nuclear power plants to 28–35 GW and by *2020 – to 50–53 GW*, gradually transits to a new technological platform based on *fast-breeder reactors and closed fuel cycle*, starts *producing small- and medium-capacity reactors* for its remote areas and the world’s developing economies and brings its *nuclear equipment and technologies export to the level of $8bln-14bln by 2020* (calculated in the prices of 2006).

[snip]

One more priority is to *actively integrate Russia’s nuclear power industry into the world economy (in both fuel and equipment production)* by enhancing the competitiveness of Russian NPPs projects, intensifying uranium prospecting work and developing cooperation with foreign partners in fuel production.

“More here”:http://www.rosatom.com/en/news/11294_06.08.2008. The Concept also stresses the importance of the *Angarsk International Uranium Enrichment Center*, repeating the mantra that “a network of such centers would ensure nondiscriminatory access for non-nuclear states to low-enriched fuel for nuclear power plants with all nonproliferation requirements observed.” The full text of the draft Concept-2020 is “available in Russian”:http://www.economy.gov.ru/wps/wcm/connect/economylib/mert/resources/3879cd804ab8615ab426fc4234375027/kdr2020_sent.doc.

And here is another report in Russian, this one on the “ecological safety”:http://www.aecc.ru/docs/ereport2007.pdf at the “Angarsk Electrolytic Chemical Combine”:http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/russia/fissmat/enrichme/angarsk.htm that I’ve been meaning to link to for some time. Nothing new in it, but there is a useful list of legislation pertaining to the Combine’s impact on the environment. (Call the report a “Bellona-special”:http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2008/angarsk_sham, if you will.)

See “NTI’s news release ^PDF^”:http://www.nti.org/c_press/release_UAE%20fuel%20bank%2080708.pdf which says that

bq. The international fuel bank proposed by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) *received a significant boost today with a $10 million commitment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)*…The UAE joins NTI, the United States government ($50 million) and the government of Norway ($5 million) in making contributions to the IAEA fuel bank, which was announced by NTI and Warren Buffett in September 2006. NTI´s $50 million contribution is contingent on the IAEA receiving an additional $100 million in funding, or an equivalent value of low enriched uranium, to jump-start the reserve and the IAEA taking the necessary actions to approve establishment of the reserve.

Happy Thursday!

*Update:* See “UAE release”:http://www.wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1200075133945&p=1135099400124&pagename=WAM/WamLocEnews/W-T-LEN-FullNews and “IAEA release”:http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/uaecontribution.html too.

The new issue of _WMD Insights_, now with Michael Moodie at the helm, is out. “Read it here”:http://www.wmdinsights.org/. Among many other interesting articles, the issue features “a commentary”:http://www.wmdinsights.org/I26/I26_G1_ConfusedWest.htm by Thérèse Delpech titled “Confused West, Single-Minded Iran.” Summary is below.

*The West is currently engaged with Iran in a diplomatic process that has only one recognizable role: waiting until the U.S. presidential elections in November*. Meanwhile, Tehran sets “red lines,” as though it holds the stronger position.

Iran may well be right: Until a new U.S. administration is in place, Iran has time to deflect pressures, and, for the success of its nuclear program, time is of the essence. *In the West, no one seems to recall that diplomacy is not an alternative to the exercise of power, but an instrument of it, or a useful complement to it*.

Finally, Israel, which has a different sense of urgency, may be preparing a strike on Iran, reportedly condoned by Washington. *In sum, whatever the outcome of the present impasse, Western strategy appears far more confused than Iran’s*.

Tis that time of year again. The IAEA released its “_2007 Annual Report_^[PDF]^”:http://www-crp.iaea.org/html/2007-annual-report.pdf. The accompanying press release is “here”:http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/ar2007.html. Also see the “_Nuclear Technology Review 2008_^[PDF]^”:http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC52/GC52InfDocuments/English/gc52inf-3_en.pdf and “_Nuclear Safety Review 2007_^[PDF]^”:http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC52/GC52InfDocuments/English/gc52inf-2_en.pdf.

Further, in case you missed it, take a look at the “_Safeguards Report 2007_^[PDF]^”:http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/SV/Safeguards/es2007.pdf. There are obviously sections on Iran, DPRK, and ROK. Finally, you may also need to know that “a comprehensive safeguards agreement with an additional protocol entered into force for Burundi.”

Almost forgot, “NNSA announced”:http://nnsa.energy.gov/2090.htm yesterday that the U.S. officially matched the “Nuclear Threat Initiative’s pledge ^[PDF]^”:http://www.nti.org/c_press/release_IAEA_fuelbank_091906.pdf of $50 million for the IAEA fuel bank.

BBC has a neat video of what apparently was “the most advanced [nuclear] bunker in the Warsaw Pact countries.” The bunker was intended for GDR leader Erich Honecker and several hundred of his staff. “Take a look”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7538611.stm.

Sorry, no “Dr. Strangelove”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/ quotes today.