Portside

While US media fixated on Russian interference in the 2016 election, an Israeli secret agent’s campaign to influence the outcome went unreported.

The temporary agreement should keep Tehran from censure for noncompliance by the nuclear agency, a move that could have derailed already suspended nuclear talks.

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There’s a growing awareness now that climate change is an existential threat to humanity. But there’s another existential threat that gets a lot less attention: nuclear war.

The capability upgrade has happened outside the attention of most government officials, who have been preoccupied with reducing nuclear warhead numbers. The result is a nuclear arsenal that is being transformed into a force that has the unambiguous characteristics of being optimized for surprise attacks against Russia and for fighting and winning nuclear wars.

There are plenty of tough and complicated details to sort out. The deal may fall apart, especially with conservatives in both Washington and Tehran-and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his crew-sniping away and looking to subvert any agreement. But as the heated debate continues, it will be important that nonproliferation experts play a critical role in the discourse. Science-based statements, not snarky sound bites, should be the weapons of choice.

Could a negotiated settlement between the United States and Iran could trigger yet another war in the Middle East? Two views.