Much has been said about the various nosecones Iran uses on its missiles. In particular, the tri-conic or baby bottle nose cone of the Kavoshgar and Ghadr is one of the primary ways of distinguishing the various Shahab-3 variants. That’s why it’s somewhat surprising to me that no one has commented (at least as far …
N, FU
by | 2009-10-30 | 7 Comments
It can be surprising just how strongly people tend to feel about nuclear weapons declaratory policy. The entire idea of declaratory policy, after all, comes down to words. It controls no instruments, makes no irrevocable commitments, and lacks the binding force of law. It amounts to an overt exercise in what the psychologists call impression …
Round Up the POSSE
by | 2009-10-30 | No Comments
Adam Stulberg and Bill Potter, with the support of Carl Robichaud at the Carnegie Corporation of New York — three of my favorite people — have created something called the Program on Strategic Stability Evaluation or POSSE. POSSE will bring together a network of younger scholars, including Chinese and Russian participants, interested in strategic stability. …
The Turn
by | 2009-10-29 | 13 Comments
In late 1983, well before Mikhail Gorbachev’s elevation as General Secretary of the Communist Party, the Reagan administration switched gears in dealing with the Soviet Union, moving from a policy of confrontation to the alleviation of the Politburo’s deep anxieties. This was a tumultuous year in superpower relations, marked by the surprise unveiling of SDI, …
