Those who oppose attacking Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities would better advance their cause by admitting Iran’s likely intention to at least field the capacity to, if not actually build, nuclear weapons.
Bahrain: Beyond the U.S.-Iran Rivalry
The popular uprising in Bahrain has put U.S. foreign policymakers in an awkward position. The U.S. government has largely lent its diplomatic weight to the Saudi regime in stifling popular uprising in Bahrain for fear that any democratic transformation in that country would work to Iran’s advantage, thus undermining U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf region.
True or False? We Can Abolish Nuclear Weapons, But Not the Know-How
A world without nuclear weapons but that retains the ability to reconstitute them is considered by many an important step on the path to Global Zero.
Pepsi, Pot, Porn…and Politics
News sources have recently reported on an interesting assortment of materials at Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. Not only was bin Laden living far from any cave on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, his house apparently had a large supply of Pepsi and Coke (inexplicably, Pakola wasn’t good enough), a significant stash of pornography, and marijuana plants on the property.
Stockholm Institute Peels Back the Veneer of Nuclear Disarmament
Arms control organizations focus more on the limited success of New START than the vast amount of money spent to keep nuclear weapons going.
Bigger than Blackwater: Arming the UAE
The International Defense Exhibition, otherwise known as IDEX, has been held bi-annually in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 1993. It is the largest defense expo in the Middle East and North Africa and one of the biggest in the world. But far from being a one-off, it highlights the UAE’s growing stature as a global arms buyer.
Can the Genie of Nuclear Knowledge Ever Be Put Back in the Bottle?
What good is disarmament if the knowledge of how to make nuclear weapons can’t be abolished?
Bunkum and Debunk ‘Em
Scratch the surface of any story and you’ll find rumors, hoaxes, and conspiracies. The conspiracy theory is the most intriguing of them all, for it combines total skepticism with total credulity. The same person will challenge every assertion made by the government or the mass media about Roswell or the Kennedy assassination, and then proceed to embrace the most cockamamie theory without even doing a minimum of legwork to test it.
Deception and Diplomacy: The US, Japan, and Okinawa
By insisting the US retain its military assets, with full freedom in their use, returning only the unnecessary responsibility for local Okinawan administration, and paying a huge sum to sweeten the deal, Japan ensured that the island’s principle raison d’être would continue to be war, making a mockery of the Okinawan people’s revulsion for war and their desire for the peace principle at the centre of the constitution.
Israel’s Atonal September Song
If the United Nations grants Palestine’s request for statehood, Israel may take it out on Iran.