After a getting multiple e-mails about my quotes in Global Security Newswire and the New York Times, let me make my advice to the Bush Administration, who decided to shoot down USA 193, explicit: DON’T FREAKING DO IT. This is bad policymaking. Take this explanation of the rationale for the decision to intercept the falling …
The Shot
by | 2008-02-14 | 83 Comments
That’s what Ambassador James Jeffrey’s called the decision to use an an Aegis SM-3 to try to shoot down USA 193 in the next 3-12 days. (Transcript should be posted here ; video at the Pentagon Channel.) Holding the aside the politics of this — which are terrible — the briefing on debris risk left …
Russia's Subtle Shift on Iran
by | 2008-02-14 | 23 Comments
Iran’s ballistic missile tests last week have sparked unusually harsh criticism from Russia. According to the BBC, Russian officials have said the tests raised suspicion over the true aim of [Iran’s] nuclear programme. This is remarkable coming from Moscow, and the latest sign of a potentially significant shift in Russia’s stance on Iran. Through 2007, …
French Nuclear Posture
by | 2008-02-14 | 10 Comments
In August, French President Nicolas Sarkozy initiated the drafting of a new white paper on defense and national security (Livre Blanc) under the direction of Jean-Claude Mallet. (The embassy has a recent progress report.) Although we had lots of interesting off-the-record conversations about it while I was in Europe, Le Figaro has the most detailed …
