In a speech on the 43rd anniversary of Yuri Gagarin/’s epochal spaceflight, President Vladimir Putin called for the demilitarization of outer space: “We all know that for many years, space was an area for military and political rivalry. Today, we are doing, and must do, everything to demilitarize space. And by turning it into an …
Chinese kidnapped in Iraq
by | 2004-04-12 | No Comments
Xinhua is reporting that seven Chinese nationals were kidnapped by armed men in Fallujah, after they entered Iraq via Jordan. I just arrived in Beijing for a conference on Technical Aspects of Space Security at Beihang (Beijing Aeronautical and Aerospace University). Update: The seven Chinese were released almost immediately.
Iraq vs. Alaska: Battle of the Boondoggle Bridges
by | 2004-04-10 | No Comments
I can/’t let up on the bridge thing, I suppose, because Bremer compared the Iraqi reconstruction effort to the Marshall plan: “The grants to Iraq the President seeks bespeak grandeur of vision equal to the one which created the free world at the end of World War II.” The Marshall Plan? Were I an Iraqi, …
Bin Ladin Determined to Strike In US
by | 2004-04-10 | No Comments
Having read the declassified PDB, we now know the answer to President Bush/’s rhetorical question, “Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?” Apparently, the answer is “When the President goes on vacation”: Nevertheless, …
