Readers have asked me what I think of this story by Bill Broad on Syria’s decision to reconstruct a building on the foundations of the the “Box-on-the-Euphrates.” It has a vaulted roof now, so it looks rather like a Monopoly-House-on-the-Euphrates. (MHE?) I think Andy — aka the Nonpartisan Pundit — hit the nail on the …
CIA Knew About Israeli Nukes in '74
by | 2008-01-11 | 7 Comments
So says the 1974 Special National Intelligence Assessment, “Prospects for further proliferation of nuclear weapons,” declassified the other day by the Bush administration. Avner Cohen and William Burr were able to get a portion of the document released in early 2006 under the Freedom of Information Act, but now the whole shebang is public. I …
All About the Benjamins
by | 2008-01-11 | 4 Comments
McClatchy Newspapers’ Kevin G. Hall puts the final nail in the myth attributing “supernotes” — almost perfect counterfeit $100 bills — to North Korea. In an article titled “U.S. counterfeiting charges against N. Korea based on shaky evidence,” Hall identifies and demolishes the central role played by defector testimony: However, a 10-month McClatchy investigation on …
Conference on Disarmament
by | 2008-01-10 | 6 Comments
Now that the administrative joys of the start of term have begun to subside I have time start to posting again… Actually, my first full day back was an enjoyable one as I attended a conference organised by Dan Plesch and Poul Erik Christiansen of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at London’s School …
