A while ago, Jeffrey posted the full text of an informal Iranian proposal to limit its centrifuge operation to a facility of about 3,000 machines. Although the proposal contains a few things to like (e.g. a commitment to forego reprocessing), the 3,000 limit isn’t one of them. The second phase of Iran’s proposal does include …
What I Did Over Summer Vacation: China's Los Alamos
by | 2005-07-06 | 3 Comments
Having an avid interest in the history of China’s nuclear weapons program, I’ve always wondered what life was like at China’s “Los Alamos”—the Northwest Nuclear Weapons Research and Design Academy near Haiyan, where China’s first nuclear weapons were designed and built. Eventually, China’s nuclear weapons design and fabrication facilities were moved to a “third line” …
PSI Lacks Sweet Libya Skills
by | 2005-07-05 | 1 Comment
Thought I’d give a heads-up about a forthcoming Arms Control Today article from Wade Boese. [Obviously, I am responsible for all snarky comments.] Shockingly, Wade finds, the Bush administration has been playing a bit fast and loose with the facts surrounding the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and the October 2003 interdiction of the BBC China—the …
Progess on CTR With Bolton Out the Door?
by | 2005-07-04 | 5 Comments
Joe Fiorill at Global Security Newswire has a nice summary of recent developments in the US-Russia nuclear liability issue, with a hopeful note of progress: Meanwhile, a key U.S.-Russian agreement on locking down and destroying various materials in Russia is fast nearing expiration. Unless a new extension is agreed upon, the 1992 Cooperative Threat Reduction …
