Now with a minor update. News of the initial deployment of Russia’s first hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), called Avangard, comes just a few months after China exhibited its first such weapon, the DF-17, in a parade. This is as a good an occasion as any to ask: what are HGVs good for? Why does Russia …
A Decade of Regression and Dismantlement
by | 2019-12-30 | 2 Comments
Religious teaching of the week: “With deep conviction I wish once more to declare that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is today, more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings but against any possible future for our common home.” – His Holiness Pope Francis Motto of …
The Decade of Factionalism and the Search for Icons
by | 2019-12-22 | 2 Comments
Lyric of the week: “Stay in my corner, babe Stay in my corner, please Stay in my corner, babe I will fight for you if you fight for me too” –Dan Auerbach and the Arcs The New York Times columnist Bret Stephens labels the past ten years of dashed hopes and damaged norms as the …
Why No Mushroom Clouds?
by | 2019-12-16 | 10 Comments
Quote of the week: “In order to know what is going to happen, one must know what has happened.” — Nicolo Machiavelli How have we managed to avoid mushroom clouds in warfare since 1945? Deterrence has to get credit, but not as much as deterrence strengtheners would have you believe. The possession of nuclear weapons …
