Pendulum Swings
There is no such thing as an isolated nuclear-related event. One development feeds into the next, whether positive or negative. The history of the Bomb is about good streaks and bad streaks. Right now, we’re in a bad streak. But…
Michael Krepon
How Long an “Interim”?
Critics of the interim agreement suggest that we wait for sanctions to have more bite. But while we wait, Iran’s stockpile of fissile materials will grow, and the Arak reactor moves closer to completion. Another alternative would be to bomb…
Interim Deal with Iran
Update | Read the text of the Joint Plan of Action. From the White House release: Halting the Progress of Iran’s Program and Rolling Back Key Elements Iran has committed to halt enrichment above 5%: Halt all enrichment above 5% and…
Optimists and Cynics
All of the significant gains in the field of arms control were the result of stubborn optimism mixed with idealism. Pessimists thought nuclear arms control was a fool’s errand, bound to end very badly, like naval arms control in the…
Will Gravity Lift the Space Code of Conduct?
Space may be the final frontier, but it’s also the cosmic dust that we’re made of. Our lineage traces back to seawater, as well. Is that why we humans stare out into space and the ocean? Two wordless and magnificent…
Conflicting Blueprints
Sometimes it helps to frame choices about familiar subjects in different ways. By way of prologue – and to dust off the arguments in my book, Better Safe than Sorry (2009) – here’s another way to think about future arms…
Pakistan’s Red-Carpet Treatment
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his key civilian advisers received the red-carpet treatment in Washington last week. The Prime Minister’s state visit — the first official trip of a Pakistani leader in a decade – including meetings with President Obama,…
Human Values in the Atomic Age
In November 1953, The American Academy of Political and Social Science issued a thin hardcover issue of The Annals, edited by Robert A. Dahl, titled The Impact of Atomic Energy. This collection of essays and book reviews appeared during a…
Monitoring Iran
ACW is at the forefront, where it belongs, of a debate over the particulars of a worthwhile deal with Iran. Three underlying assumptions need to be met for these particulars to come into play: (1) maximalist conditions are set aside;…
Guest Interview
I’m here with occasional ACW contributor Chauncey Gardiner, who has consented to a rare interview. MK: Chauncey, long time, no hear. What have you been up to? CG: Weeding. MK: That has to be a no-win proposition. Weeds propagate like…