32 posts
Much has been said about the various nosecones Iran uses on its missiles. In particular, the tri-conic or baby bottle nose cone of the Kavoshgar and Ghadr is one of the primary ways of distinguishing the various Shahab-3 variants. That’s…
It can be surprising just how strongly people tend to feel about nuclear weapons declaratory policy. The entire idea of declaratory policy, after all, comes down to words. It controls no instruments, makes no irrevocable commitments, and lacks the binding…
Adam Stulberg and Bill Potter, with the support of Carl Robichaud at the Carnegie Corporation of New York — three of my favorite people — have created something called the Program on Strategic Stability Evaluation or POSSE. POSSE will bring…
In late 1983, well before Mikhail Gorbachev’s elevation as General Secretary of the Communist Party, the Reagan administration switched gears in dealing with the Soviet Union, moving from a policy of confrontation to the alleviation of the Politburo’s deep anxieties.…
One of the unique features of the AlKibar (Dair Alzour) probable-reactor site is that it is located near a (somewhat offbeat) tourist attraction. I even joked that a visit “seems like a good use of my grant money.” I didn’t…
It’s been little remarked upon, but the United States appears to have a technical role, and not just a political one, in the agreement with Iran reached “in principle” in Geneva on October 1. There’s no text in open circulation,…
click on the image for a larger version Cataloged debris associated with the 10 February 2009 collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 as of 23 October 2009. The orbits associated with the major pieces of each satellite are indicated.…
Are the shoe box files metaphorical or real? Given my weak memory and computer skills, they have to be real. But I know that ACW readers are a suspicious lot, so I have asked Jeffrey to accompany this post with…
A lot of negative descriptions come to mind when I think of Arizona Senator Jon Kyl. Stupid, however, is not one of them. He is a formidable opponent to be feared, as suggested by his recent op-ed in the Wall…
I do hope I won’t have to eat these words in a few hours, but here goes: Don’t be distracted by the Sturm und Drang from Vienna. Despite Tuesday’s events — which converted multilateral negotiations into some combination of bilaterals…
