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, …
Tourist Trip To Halabiye
by | 2009-10-28 | 20 Comments
One of the unique features of the AlKibar (Dair Alzour) probable-reactor site is that it is located near a (somewhat offbeat) tourist attraction. I even joked that a visit “seems like a good use of my grant money.” I didn’t expect one of you to actually do it. A reader, on a visit to Syria, …
America's Role in the LEU-TRR Deal
by | 2009-10-25 | 13 Comments
It’s been little remarked upon, but the United States appears to have a technical role, and not just a political one, in the agreement with Iran reached “in principle” in Geneva on October 1. There’s no text in open circulation, and the U.S. government won’t say what’s in it. As a senior administration official told …
A Break in Space: Cosmos-Iridium Update
by | 2009-10-23 | 7 Comments
click on the image for a larger version Cataloged debris associated with the 10 February 2009 collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 as of 23 October 2009. The orbits associated with the major pieces of each satellite are indicated. As we wait for the next shoe to fall in the Iranian nuclear crisis, I …
