News media are reporting a number of suspicious activities at Belgian nuclear facilities. Some of those media are connecting those activities with last week’s bombing attacks. Information is inconsistent and insufficient for drawing conclusions. Read More
More analysis of Russia’s drawdown in Syria from Paul Pillar, Dmitry Gorenberg and Michael Kofman, Samuel Greene, and Pavel Baev. Also Mark Galeotti on Russian Spetznaz (special forces) in Syria. Samuel Greene’s piece is particularly worth reading in terms of strategy. World leaders seldom act out of petty spite or revenge. Read More
Patrick Chappatte
Jeffrey Goldberg has written an outstanding summary of President Barack Obama’s approach to foreign policy. Goldberg deserves much credit for conveying ideas that he does not fully agree with. The picture agrees closely with the one I have been building in my mind from observing Obama’s actions and speeches. So much so that I withdrew an article I had written from consideration at another publication because what Goldberg wrote made my speculations obsolete. I agree with Paul Pillar’s summary of the article’s high points. Read More
Russia is partially withdrawing its troops from Syria. It will maintain its naval and air bases there but will remove some unspecified amount of troops and equipment. Every reason you can think of has been offered in the speculation as to why and why now. Here’s a reasonable interpretation from Randa Slim, who has been involved in Track II discussions with Russia. Also from Mark Galeotti. How much will Russia continue to support Assad? Will Assad support the peace process with his protector partially gone? And how will other parties to the conflict respond? Nobody really knows. Here’s an article about strained relations between Russia and Iran. Read More
John Hopkins was Division Leader of Los Alamos’s Testing Division for many years. I recently heard him speak about what it would take to begin nuclear testing again – whether for one test or a continuing program. Read More
Adam Zyglis
Video of Kim Jung Un inspecting what is said to be North Korea’s compact nuclear warhead. I’m not convinced. The discussion is in progress. See the group at Arms Control Wonk for more. (Nothing there as I write, but there will be something!) Top photo from here. Read More
Nuclear Diner 