As far as I can tell, there’s nothing new in the flurry of recent press coverage about the near-detonation of an H-bomb near Goldsboro, North Carolina after a B-52 broke apart in flight on January 24, 1961. But declassified documents draw press coverage, so I am grateful to Eric Schlosser for unearthing a memo about …
Pakistan’s Next Chinese Reactor
by | 2013-09-28 | 8 Comments
Pakistani luminaries met with Chinese luminaries a few months ago, and their handshake will translate into a brand new 1,000-MW power reactor–Kanupp-2–being plunked down into the middle of Pakistan’s mega-metropolis Karachi. Maybe even two reactors. The unofficial announcement with details is here. In April, China Daily confirmed that there is a foreign contract. So it’s a …
North Korean Flow-Forming Lathes
by | 2013-09-23 | 9 Comments
Update | A video of the panel is now online. Further update | February 13, 2014 | It’s yet another flow-forming machine inside North Korea. Greetings from Seoul, where I’ll soon be speaking at the Asan Institute’s conference on North Korea. I’m joining a panel on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. (Surprised?) By now, readers of this …
Punishment vs. Engagement
by | 2013-09-23 | 12 Comments
US Members of Congress excel at four things: fund raising, getting re-elected, protecting sunk costs and the jobs of their constituents, and imposing sanctions. In theory, punishing sanctions are supposed to become means toward diplomatic ends, but in practice, Capitol Hill gravitates toward means and is myopic about ends. One reason: Imposing sanctions is a …
