The Cheonan Report
The Cheonan report is out, and it’s not pretty. The most thorough accounts of the press conference appear to be those of the Sydney Morning Herald and the New York Times. The investigators — a team from South Korea, America,…
Joshua Pollack
Writing on ACW 2008–2025 · 162 posts
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Confidence-Demolition Measure
From the Dept. of Two Cents. With all due respect to Geoff’s take, the latest Iranian position in the endless saga of the Zombie Fuel Swap is not, properly speaking, a confidence-building measure; it’s a confidence-demolition measure. Except for one…
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Israel: Between Dimona and Democracy
The Columbia University Press website has announced the forthcoming release of a new book by Avner Cohen, best known as the author of Israel and the Bomb (1998). His new work is titled, The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel’s Bargain with the…
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"Become the Sun": NK Nuclear (Con)fusion
North Korean scientists have, without warning, solved the problem of nuclear fusion. So reported the official daily Rodong Sinmun the other day, prompting bafflement worldwide. KCNA has the highlights: DPRK Succeeds in Nuclear Fusion Pyongyang, May 12 (KCNA) — Scientists…
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North Korea's Indigenous Bomb Design
It’s a red-letter day for Norkologists. For one thing, Kim Jong-il’s in Beijing, taking what’s almost certainly his last train trip outside the country. According to the LA Times, he’s dispensed with the usual pair of decoy trains. Perhaps he’s…
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The Dead Hand
Wow. David Hoffman’s The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the category of general nonfiction. To win in that catch-all category, it had to…
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Malaysia and the Bomb
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najab Razak, man of the hour. For real. [Update | 5:45 pm. The White House has a readout of the Obama-Najab bilat.] When most Americans think of Malaysia, they… Well, most of us don’t think of…
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Where the NPR Meets in the Middle
U.S. Department of Defense photo by Cherie Cullen The Obama Nuclear Posture Review — and that’s what it is — is a major accomplishment. (I’ve written about it in a column to appear soon at the Bulletin. Stay tuned. Here…
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The "Lego Block" Nuclear Reactor
So, looking for something in a nuclear power plant, but not too big and not too expensive? How about a small, modular liquid-metal reactor, provided with its fuel installed? Look no further than the 100 MWe SVBR-100, shipped direct to…
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The Media, Generals, & Passion of AQ Khan
This magazine cover irritated A.Q. Khan. Hey, it could have been worse. (A friendly warning: this is a long post.) [Update | 2153. A few clarifications and elaborations have been added at the end. Look for the numbered notes sprinkled…