Secretary of Defense Panetta has sent a heartburn letter to Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham that outlines a series of cuts to the US nuclear force that may occur under sequestration. Speaking about the totality of cuts — not just the nuclear ones — Panetta warned that sequestration would have “devastating effects.” It is …
Gerard C. Smith
by | 2011-11-14 | 2 Comments
“Gerry” Smith had the look of a bulldog wearing a well-tailored, pin-striped suit. No diplomat’s jaw seemed more able to take a solid punch. Ambassador Smith took more than his share during the first strategic arms limitation talks. The SALT I negotiations were a model of irregularity, with the US bureaucracy and Smith’s negotiating team …
At The Crossroads With Iran
by | 2011-11-07 | 165 Comments
An observer, who wishes to remain nameless, sends along this dispatch on the recent drumbeat to war with Iran: For some reason, everyone and his cousin are suddenly seized on the idea that there must be an urgent need to (at a minimum) contemplate whether to bomb Iran. No one can quite say why now, …
The Arms Crawl that Wasn’t
by | 2011-11-07 | 6 Comments
Ashley Tellis’ important book, India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture (2001), predicted an “arms crawl” instead of a nuclear arms race on the subcontinent. One major reason for Ashley’s benign assessment was that Indian decision makers “view their nuclear weapons primarily as political instruments intended to promote caution in the minds of their adversaries – while bolstering …
