The thirtieth anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s surprise roll-out of the Strategic Defense Initiative has been duly noted within narrow circles. The section of my shoe box files devoted to SDI is thick and inviting. The 4 X 6 card at the front end is a note to self: “The national security of the United …
Writing on the Wall
by | 2013-03-29 | 98 Comments
You know who tries to deter cyber-attacks with nuclear weapons? North Korea, that’s who. North Korea released a statement that Kim Jong Il had “ratified the plan of the Strategic Rocket Force for firepower strike” against “the U.S. mainland, their stronghold, their military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam…” …
Pierre Noir, Again
by | 2013-03-27 | 7 Comments
About a year ago, I wrote about the case of Pierre Noir, the first IAEA inspector to die on the job. Noir died of a heart attack while inspecting a nuclear reactor in Taiwan on January 30, 1978. I am teaching that episode in class today. Last year, I was able to hunt down — …
Show and TEL
by | 2013-03-26 | 11 Comments
The most rewarding aspect of the Monterey Institute is the students. Okay, it’s the weather. But the students are a close second. We have, for instance, an embarrassment of Chinese-speaking graduate students. One of our best, Jonathan Ray, has been staring at Chinese social media sites. While most young Chinese men largely surf for smut, …
