Why'd They Do It?

Gregory Kulacki and I are giving a talk about the Chinese ASAT test at the Carnegie Endowment. Short version: There is no message for us.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace invites you to attend

A Different View of China’s ASAT Test

Featuring

Gregory Kulacki
Senior Analyst and China Project Manager in the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists

Jeffrey Lewis
Director of the New America Foundation’s Nuclear Strategy Initiative

Dr. Kulacki and Dr. Lewis will discuss the decisions that led to China’s January 2007 test of an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) against one of its own satellites. Although most American analysts placed the United States at the center of Chinese calculations, either by asserting that the test is part of a deliberate effort to acquire a comprehensive set of counter-space capabilities or an attempt to induce the United States into arms control negotiations, Kulacki and Lewis argue that American commentators tend to overstate the importance of the United States as a driver in China’s decision to develop hit-to-kill technology and conduct the test. Dr Kulacki and Dr. Lewis traveled to China several times in the past eight months to discuss China’s ASAT test with colleagues in the arms control and defense science communities, including individuals who have knowledge of the history of the ASAT program and access to information about the decision-making process prior to and after the final test on January 11, 2007.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036

Please RSVP to Teri Grimwood at the Union of Concerned Scientists at tgrimwood [AT] ucsusa.org