Last week, a piece of debris from North Korea’s Kwangmyongsong rocket washed up in Japan. Images of the debris show it is the smaller half of the fairing that covers the satellite during launch. The larger half was recovered in February. Given that the fairing fell, the object floated all the way to Yurihama, Japan …
Diplomatic Posturing
by | 2016-06-20 | 2 Comments
Diplomatic posturing on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, and new strategic arms reductions waxes as prospects for progress wane. Progress requires lubrication for friction between Russia and the United States, China and the United States, China and India, India and Pakistan, and Pakistan and the United States. Friction between the …
The Cruel Politics of Arms Limitation
by | 2016-06-13 | 12 Comments
Arms limitation is ridiculously hard to explain and even harder to accomplish. Arms limitation is useful when dealing with bad actors that possess fearsome weapons. If success requires self-limitation as well, the results are often met with derision, since bad actors cannot be trusted. (See U.S. vs. Soviet Union/Russian Federation.) Even when success occurs without …
The Clothes Geolocate the Man
by | 2016-06-08 | 6 Comments
Or, geolocating Kim Jong Un by his (somewhat questionable) fashion choices. A joint post with Dave Schmerler. Surely, you remember this image, notable because it shows a mock-up of a compact nuclear warhead and Kim Jong Un in a ridiculous coat, hat, and eyeglasses. KCNA reported on the visit on March 9, 2016. One question …
