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North Korean nuclear tensions |
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Pyongyang's admission that it has a clandestine nuclear programme in violation of its treaty obligations has significantly increased tensions in and around the Korean Peninsula, and presented Washington and its regional allies with a major policy dilemma. While all sides are working towards a diplomatic solution, the dynamics of the dispute leave room for a potentially dangerous escalation.
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Pakistan and North Korea |
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In October 2002, reports citing US officials claimed that Pakistan - in exchange for North Korean No-dong ballistic missiles - had assisted Pyongyang in its recently uncovered effort to develop a clandestine uranium enrichment-based nuclear weapons programme. The allegation has heightened concerns about Pakistan's apparent resolve to create an operational nuclear strike force against India through a contravention of global non-proliferation norms and at the risk of destabilising relations with Washington. More importantly, it has raised questions about Pakistan's nuclear decision-making institutions and procedures, and the extent to which military decisions on strategic policy have been subject to review by civilian authorities and rival governmental institutions.
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China's new leadership |
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China's leadership change, announced at the 16th Congress of the ruling Communist Party in mid-November 2002, appeared to mark the last troubled succession since the communist takeover in 1949. Yet, while the transfer of power - to a 'Fourth Generation' of leaders - for the first time involved neither the death of an incumbent nor the overthrow of an heir apparent, there are reasons to doubt the stability of the new line-up. The succession arrangements point to the possibility of conflict both between the new generation of leaders and their retired - or semi retired - predecessors, as well as between those new leaders just promoted.
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Turkey's landmark election |
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The landslide victory of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in the 3 November 2002 elections marked the beginning of a new era in Turkish politics, with potentially profound repercussions for domestic and foreign policies. Both its opponents and supporters perceive the JDP as having an Islamist agenda. Although in the short term it is likely to concentrate on consolidating its grip on power rather than trying to erode the secular principles enshrined in the Turkish constitution, there are already signs that the Turkish establishment - led by the military - is mobilising to restrict the JDP's room for manoeuvre and undermine its authority by targeting the JDP leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Funding US access to space |
The successful 20 November 2002 launch of Boeing's Delta IV satellite launch vehicle owes much to the US government's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) programme, which is designed to establish an affordable means of securing access to space. Launchers built under the EELV programme will be used to introduce a new generation of US surveillance and reconnaissance satellites, which are seen as complementary to the unmanned aerial vehicle platforms recently lauded after their performance in the 'war on terror'. However, the production of new reconnaissance satellites, and their launch vehicles, has been subject to funding-related problems that could complicate their introduction into service.
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