I had never thought I would say this...

I'd like to extend my most sincere thanks for the Communist Party of India. A few days ago, CPI's leadership threatened to pull out of the Congress Party's ruling coalition if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continued to pursue its nuclear deal with the U.S.

Indian leftists have traditionally served as a main driver of India's policy of non-alignment. Even though it has made them increasingly unpopular with the Indian public, leftists are sticking to their guns.

Since Monday, CPI has softened its position some and agreed to form a review panel to re-examine India's nuclear independence in terms of the extremely deferential 123 Agreement that has taken shape over the last few months. This may provide them with some cover to abandon their position, but it will at least stay the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty regime's death sentence a little longer.

Before I get a few e-mails excusing me of being 'backward' or a 'China-lover,' I will explain my thinking. If both PM Singh and President Bush think that their nuclear deal will create an opening for a U.S.-India partnership, they are selling an illusion.

The Indian public overwhelmingly supports the deal because they believe the NPT regime is unjust. They also believe that many U.S. policies are equally unjust and offer only tepid support for a strategic partnership that goes beyond nuclear cooperation. The CPI should receive credit for recognizing this fact and approaching the Bush-Singh deal with suspicion.

MC Ahmadinejad's New Album

In celebration of the IAEA's new report on the implementation of NPT safeguards in Iran, MC Ahmadinejad has released a new album entitled "My Nuclear Report Card."

Update: For those not familiar with the burgeoning hyphy hip-hop scene coming out of the San Fransisco Bay area, this cover is loosely patterned off of album cover of E-40's My Ghetto Report Card. Its a terrible album by the way -- the only redeemable song is last summer's hit "U and Dat."

Translation: North Korea says uranium deal with Russia contigent on their support in the Six Party talks

This article from the Chunichi Shimbun is a bit old, but it is what started me on this translation idea. Jane over at the ACW originally picked up on it as it was reported on in an IHT article on the same subject. The translation is as follows: North Korea on negotiations of uranium deal with Russia: Supply is contingent on Six Party talks support December 3, 2006

North Korea made it clear on December 2nd that Russian plans to expand its enrichment industry by importing North Korean uranium ore are dependent on the condition that Russia support the North's position in the Six Party talks. Russian government sources have confirmed this to this paper. According to these same officials, Russian wants monopolistic import rights on uranium ore mined from sites at Pakchon and Sunchon, which are near the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The uranium would be enriched inside Russia with the aim of selling it for large sums of money as fuel for Russian-made nuclear power plants in China and Vietnam. Russia and North Korea have been in secret negotiations over this deal since 2002. Recently, the North Korean side has been positive about their prospects because they have tied opposition to the condition of an import monopoly on uranium ore to an understanding that Russia would advocate on their behalf at the Six Party talks in China and meet Pyongyang's desire for protection. On the one hand, the North Korean nuclear test was greated by a United Nations sanction resolution adopted in October, which affirmed steps towards an embargo on North Korean weapons of mass destruction and missile-related goods. To this end, Russia fears that the guarantees on peaceful use that are needed for imported North Korean uranium ore will be too complicated for their plans. Russia's current economic growth will continue to be fuelled by its exports of natural gas and crude oil, but its plans to expand its international influence in the nuclear fuel market by expanding its uranium enrichment industry. These problems have also occured regarding Iran's nuclear program, where Russia is supporting the construction of nuclear reactors in Bushehr that it will fuel, but it is also discretely taking up support for a UN sanctions resolution.

The last paragraph is a bit of a rush job, but I think the readers will get the picture. It definitely lines up with the fact that Russia is renationalizing its civilian nuclear industry and is working to build up its low-enriched uranium exports.