Links – November 30, 2015
Three long reads for background on Syria: Charles Lister on the Syrian opposition. ECFR on diplomacy. Jessica Stern on what ISIS wants now. Read More
Month: November 2015
Sunday Comics
Velina Tchakarova
Odd Thoughts About Vladimir Putin
When I’m doing science, I’ve found it’s important to pay attention to the things that seem odd, out of line with expectations. Here are some things about Vladimir Putin, disconnected, no patterns implied, no conclusions drawn, that have seemed odd to me lately. Read More
Links -November 24, 2015
A Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian SU-24 bomber. Rumors and videos are circulating. It’s not clear whether the pilots are alive or not. Vladimir Putin made a statement linking Turkey with ISIS and claiming a “stab in the back.” A number of videos circulating on social media are from earlier incidents. This story is developing. The New York Times and Washington Post are probably the most reliable sources for summaries for the next day or so. And no, World War III is not about to begin. Russia and Turkey have too many commercial interests in common. Putin’s statement does not mention military reprisals. Photo: CNN Read More
Sunday Comics
Links – November 20, 2015
Alexei Arbatov considers the possibilities of nuclear war between Russia and the United States. It sounds like Putin’s “strike first” comment made Arbatov wonder if Putin intended that for nuclear war. He decides not, but, I think, not entirely convincingly. This is one of the issues the United States and Russia need to talk about. Read More
But What If The Terrorists Had A Nuclear Bomb?
Last Friday, I figured it was just a matter of time before someone asks “But what if the Paris attackers had a nuclear weapon?” The first showed up last night. Before the attacks, another article appeared on nuclear smuggling, of which much was made by the usual suspects. Read More
Paris Links – November 16, 2015
Some of the more helpful reading I’ve found on ISIS and related matters. Read More
Links – November 15, 2015
After the appalling attacks in Paris on Friday, we wish for recovery and healing.
Equally appalling are some of the responses, which I won’t quote here. The desire for more war, which is the generator of ISIS and other pathologies, seems insane to me. The image at top of the post is by Jean Jullien. Can we take its widespread adoption as an indication that most people want peace? Read More
Nuclear Diner 