There is a new book on South Africa’s Apartheid-era nuclear weapons program by Nic von Wielligh, who participated in the program. Originally published in Afrikaans as Die Bom: Suid-Afrika se Kernwapenprogram, the book is now available in English. (The title is translated literally as The Bomb: South Africa’s Nuclear Weapons Programme.) The CNS office in …
Campaign Against Red Mercury
by | 2015-12-03 | 1 Comment
Red Mercury. It does not exist and anyone promising you riches for it is a conman. Following CJ Chivers massive story in the New York Times magazine about the red mercury hoax, inlcuding efforts by groups like ISIS to obtain what they think is an ultra-secret nuclear material, Jeffrey talks to Michael Moore about the …
Second-Term Blues for Arms Control
by | 2015-12-01 | 8 Comments
The “Arms-Control Enterprise” is taking a beating as the “Nuclear Enterprise” is recapitalized. These trend lines have become starker during the Obama administration’s second term, mirroring the declining fortunes for arms control during President Bill Clinton’s last four years in the White House. While Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush did surprisingly well …
Rebel With A Bomb
by | 2015-11-29 | 5 Comments
One of the major developments in the study of nuclear weapons has been a shift from pseudo-rationalist explanations to empirical research based on the decision-making style and outlook of actual leaders. A few years ago, Bill Potter and Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova wrote a nice review essay in International Security called Divining Nuclear Intentions that surveyed this shift, …
