Nuclear missile officers’ jobs weigh heavy on them but not for the reasons you’d think. On May 8 we posted about an article by Robert Burns of the Associated Press, in which he reported that the Air Force removed authority to control – and launch – nuclear missiles from 17 officers of the 91st Missile Wing in Minot, […]
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Spirit of boondoggle departs quashed Los Alamos project, finds new one to possess
The construction of an expensive new plutonium pit facility has been abandoned. Will it be replaced a collection of smaller buildings? Thanks in large part to lawsuits filed by the Los Alamos Study Group, last year the Obama administration halted the construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) at Los Alamos […]
Would Pakistan respond to India’s use of conventional weapons with nukes?
Theoretically Pakistan is poised to respond to Indian military retaliation for a terrorist strike with tactical nukes. It’s debatable how much nuclear weapons add to national security. But what’s undeniable is that they add layer upon layer of complexity, sprinkled with convoluted and even counterintuitive thinking (such as how missile defense systems are seen as […]
Minot’s launch control fail: Reason #532 why nuclear deterrence is a fragile foundation for peace
To concerns about human error in nuclear launch control add moodiness. Robert Burns of the Associated Press reports that the Air Force removed authority to control – and launch – nuclear missiles from 17 officers of the 91st Missile Wing in Minot, North Dakota after they were given a poor review for a series of mistakes. The […]
Next step for Assad – exile to a rump state?
Syria has become the weak leg of its tripod with Iran and Hezbollah. “A Syrian official called an attack Sunday on the nation’s military research facility a ‘declaration of war’ by Israel,’” reports CNN. In an interview with CNN, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad said the attack represented an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel. […]
Emphasis added: the foreign policy week in pieces
As if Iran Isn’t Noticing [Philip Coyle of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation] worries that the overall effect of the White House’s about-face on nuclear weapons policy could prove counterproductive. “We don’t want more nuclear weapons in the world,” he says. “We’re asking North Korea to stop its program. We’re asking Iran to stop […]
U.S. explores engagement with Burma’s brutal military
“The European Union revoked its economic and political sanctions against Burma on Monday,” reports Erica Kinetz for the Associated Press. She continues: Australia revoked its travel and financial sanctions in June 2012. . . . The US has moved more slowly than the European Union and Australia in normalizing relations, which some business groups argue puts […]
Americans will never fear everyday gun violence like they do terrorism
One they view as the cost of living in a free society, the other as war. “Not that the events weren’t shocking and brutal,” concedes Scott Atran at Foreign Policy about the Boston Marathon bombing. But … this law enforcement and media response, of course, is part of the overall U.S. reaction to terrorism since […]
Emphasis added: the foreign policy week in pieces
Iraq’s War for Terrorists Sets up Branch Campus in Syria Of especially grave concern is the movement into Syria of bomb makers and military tacticians. As Iraq’s jihad was for much of the past decade, Syria’s is now becoming the “destination jihad” du jour. Iraq: Where Terrorists Go to School, Jessica Stern, the New York […]
Boston Marathon bombing: What do Chechens have against the U.S.?
Hasn’t Chechen separatists’ beef always been with Russia? With news that the dead bombing suspect is named Tamerlan Tsarnaev and, along with another suspect, his brother, is believed to be from Chechnya, the question naturally arises: what do Chechen — presumably separatists — have against the United States? Hasn’t their beef always been against Russia? It’s […]
Marathon Monday investigation rolls on: the irony of being a privacy advocate in an NCIS world
Ah, yes. The advantages of living in a security state. Authorities have clear video images of two separate suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings carrying black bags at each explosion site and are planning to release the images today in an appeal for the public’s help in identifying the men, according to an official briefed […]
Boston Marathon bombing: can we at least speculate logically?
The speculation began before the smoke cleared: who was responsible for Monday’s terror attack at the Boston Marathon? What was their motive? Not only is it human to speculate, it’s just about impossible for us not to. We’re inherently theoretical animals, constantly seeking more informed and reliable ways of understanding and explaining (and predicting) how the […]
Did Boston Marathon bombers choose Patriots’ Day to cover their tracks?
At National Journal, Michael Hirsch wrote: The timing of the Boston bombing, coming on Patriots Day in Massachusetts, might well suggest [a U.S. right-wing extremist group] says Jessica Stern, a terrorism expert at Harvard University. … “All these discussions about whether they’re going to take away our guns would be another reason to suspect anti-government […]
Boston Marathon bombing: tragedy, bigotry and hope
First and foremost, my thoughts are with Boston today. I hope your friends and family were as lucky as mine were to avoid any harm, and my prayers are with those who were not as lucky. Watching the news was horrific for anyone who turned on a television or browsed the Internet yesterday. But apart […]
Domestic attacks like the Boston Marathon bombing add insult to injury
The best way to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing is by preventing its re-occurrence. Along with those killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, the numbers tossed around of how many will lose limbs are in the dozens. It’s tragic enough when veterans return from foreign wars with limbs missing. But, as Iraqis, […]
Emphasis added: the foreign policy week in pieces
Mental Illness a Prerequisite to Run for Public Office It’s unbelievable what people would do to be in power. I know: It happens everywhere. I can’t believe that normal people in their right mind would run for elected position. There has to be something wrong in their value system to go through what they have […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- The time a source has to respond to request for comment? Virtually none.
- Profiling the Tea Party: In defense of the IRS. Sorta. Or not.
- Saturday Video Roundup: “Imagine the Band,” by John Lennon and Wings
- The Rest is Noise (6)—Descent into the Maelstrom
- I hate handguns, but I have still considered owning one
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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Samuel Smith: I try not to draw too many conclusions about peopl…
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Frank Dilatush: Sam, allow me a moment of off point please. In a s…
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Cat White: "To him, obviously, the Tea Party is a viable poli…
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Russ Wellen: Eloquent post. The Tea Party right would do wise t…
