The United States is not going to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict. Allies who believe otherwise are attached to a fiction and a psychological crutch. But these allies have been badly spooked, first by Vladimir Putin and now by Donald Trump. Despite Putin’s annexation of Crimea and Russian salami-slicing elsewhere around its periphery, I …
No, China Isn’t Punishing North Korea
by | 2016-07-26 | 5 Comments
A few weeks ago, some colleagues new to satellite imagery analysis claimed that China had drastically reduced trade with North Korea to punish Pyongyang for its most recent nuclear test. They made this judgment on the basis of a small number of satellite images of the customs area in Dandong, China and one image of the customs …
Learning About Nuclear South Asia
by | 2016-07-25 | 1 Comment
The Stimson Center has been hard at work creating a free, open, online course on “Nuclear South Asia.” We’ve designed the course for students, teachers, strategic analysts and interested onlookers. The material is accessible, and it’s offered with the help of over sixty experts from India, Pakistan, and the United States. A promo video for …
Congressional Hearings as Inquisitions
by | 2016-07-19 | 7 Comments
During the 1950s, Senator Joe McCarthy convened hearings to discover Soviet moles in Hollywood, the State Department and the U.S. Army. The Army-McCarthy Hearings led to his downfall. Abusive practices by Committee and Subcommittee chairmen (no women) were reined in. Occasionally, hearings even became vehicles for serious and sustained investigations. Senator J. William Fulbright of …
