To the Point

Nuclear Arms on the Rise

Despite half a century of arms control agreements, the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe is actually increasing. Has US policy helped make the -unthinkable- possible after all? Today-s New York Times reports that the Bush administration may be resigned to letting North Korea build nuclear weapons. Have 50 years of nuclear arms control failed? Nuclear powers India, Pakistan and Israel all refuse to sign the non-proliferation agreement, and Iran may be developing nuclear power as a cover-up for bomb-building. We examine the politics and proliferation of nuclear weapons with an ethnic studies professor who's written on America's use of the bomb, a former Defense Department deputy for nonproliferation policy, an arms control advocate from the British American Security Information Council, a foreign policy expert from the Cato Institute, and Iran's first ambassador to the United Nations. Making News: Mosul Takes Small Steps towards Democracy In Iraq, the city of Mosul has taken a step toward democracy, with the election of local officials to preside over an interim government alongside the American military. Stephen Farrell, Middle East correspondent for the Times of London who just returned to Baghdad from Mosul, says the 23-member town council and mayor, elected by a "patchwork" of community delegates, will wield power that's more symbolic than substantial. Reporter's Notebook: Multi-Lingual Poll Finds Fear in Immigrant Communities They may not yet speak English, but immigrants are altering the face of American society. While most public opinion polls ignore these new-comers, a coalition of 400 print, broadcast and online ethnic media groups just commissioned such a survey, one that includes concerns about the recent war in Iraq. USC-s Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism co-sponsored the poll with New California Media, where Sandy Close is executive director.