The best definition of the “action-reaction” syndrome was provided by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara during a deeply conflicted speech before United Press International editors and publishers on September 18, 1967. McNamara used this occasion to rail against the nuclear arms race while endorsing a limited ballistic missile defense, ostensibly against China. [Aspiring wonks: to …
Norm-Setting for Outer Space
by | 2014-09-09 | 12 Comments
Norms are standards of proper or acceptable behavior. They establish expectations and clarify misbehavior, thereby helping to isolate, limit, and sanction bad behavior. Without norms, there are no norm-breakers. They can be codified in treaties and other legal instruments, or they can be less formal, such as those embedded in international codes of conduct. When …
Mauger on China’s Hypersonic Test
by | 2014-09-08 | 18 Comments
AS James Acton, Catherine Dill and I prepared our “Crashing Tiger, Hidden Hotspring” post, one of my students, Philippe Mauger, made a number of important observations including offering a possible identification of the rocket engine found among the debris. I asked Philippe to write up some of his observations. Hypersonic loose ends A short addendum …
Putin’s Nuclear Threat
by | 2014-09-08 | 6 Comments
Did Vladimir Putin just threaten the West with nuclear weapons? Could nuclear weapons be used in Europe? What is Russia’s nuclear doctrine? Does a nuclear balance make the world safe for conventional war? Today, Aaron and Jeffrey talk about Russia’s nuclear weapons and the recent chatter about them in Moscow. Jeffrey and Aaron discussed a …
