On Nuclear Terrorism

Council on Foreign Relations hosted a talk last November with Michael A. Levi author of On Nuclear Terrorism.
The audio can be heard here: http://uc.princeton.edu/main/images/stories/podcast/20071120MichaelLeviCFR.mp3

Labels: Nuclear Terrorism, podcast

Korean Nuclear Declaration Could Arrive This Month

North Korea appears ready to issue a full declaration of its nuclear holdings and activities this month, Bloomberg reported.

The list was expected Dec. 31 as part of the second phase of North Korean denuclearization, for which the isolated nation stands to receive economic, diplomatic and security benefits. However, the process has stumbled amid U.S. assertions that Pyongyang had failed to address key segments of its nuclear program.

Envoys from Pyongyang and Washington reportedly reached a tentative deal last week under which North Korea would provide details of its plutonium-based programs while acknowledging U.S. suspicions regarding uranium enrichment efforts and support for a Syrian nuclear program. [via Nuclear Threat Initiative]

Labels: denuclearization, North Korea

New Book: Atomic Tragedy: Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Bomb Against Japan

Cornell University Press is pleased to announce the release of Sean L. Malloy's newest title, Atomic Tragedy: Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Bomb Against Japan.

Atomic Tragedy offers a unique perspective on one of the most important events of the twentieth century. As Secretary of War during World War II, Henry L. Stimson (1867-1950) oversaw the American nuclear weapons program. In a book about how an experienced, principled man faltered when confronted by the tremendous challenge posed by the intersection of war, diplomacy, and technology, Sean L. Malloy examines Stimson's struggle to reconcile his responsibility for "the most terrible weapon ever known in human history" with his long-standing convictions about war and morality.

Ultimately, Stimson's story is one of failure; despite his beliefs, Stimson reluctantly acquiesced in the use of the atomic bomb against heavily populated Japanese cities in August 1945. This is the first biography of Stimson to benefit from extensive use of papers relating to the Manhattan Project; Malloy has also uncovered evidence illustrating the origins of Stimson's commitment to eliminating or refining the conduct of war against civilians, information that makes clear the agony of Stimson's dilemma.

Cornell Press is offering a 20% discount, to our readers.

Labels: Henry L. Stimson

Shultz on Nukes - Then & Now

Former secretary of State George Shultz has joined several other former U.S. officials - Henry Kissinger, William Perry, and Sam Nunn - in directing the Nuclear Security Project, which is aimed at "ending nuclear weapons as a threat to the world." According to Shultz, times have changed. The doctrine of deterrence that existed during the Cold War no longer applies. The number of nations pursuing nuclear weapons has metastasized, and the non-proliferation regime has unraveled. Hence, we need a new objective: a world free of nuclear weapons. [ via Uncommon Knowledge on National Review Online]

France to cut nuclear arsenal

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced cuts in France's atomic arsenal but vowed to keep a strong enough deterrent against threats such as the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran.

He said the airborne nuclear strike force would be cut by a third, leaving France with fewer than 300 warheads.

Labels: Arsenal, France, Reduction