Nations to the northwest of Russia reported slightly increased levels of radiation on several days in June. The levels were harmless to human health and the environment. The isotopes observed include Cs-134, Cs-137, Ru-103, I-131, and isotopes of cobalt. The possible source region for the June 22 and 23 observations was calculated by the …
Rofer on Nuclear Issues
Resuming Nuclear Testing is a Very Bad Idea
I’ve written another thing. The Outrider Foundation provides information on nuclear weapons and global warming. They’ve prettied up my words with an impressive set of pictures. Sample: An American test would likely be answered by Russian and Chinese tests, and perhaps by others. Although the United States, Russia, and China have mature arsenals and don’t …
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Michael Flynn’s Conversations
The repercussions of Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia don’t go away. Michael Flynn is a part of that relationship, although it is not clear how much of his interaction with Russian officials was directed by Trump. Trump keeps interactions at arm’s length so that he can claim he is not responsible for his administration’s wrongdoing. …
Iran Is Far From A Nuclear Weapon
I’ve been writing this now since 2012 or earlier, but reporters and editors don’t care to learn about the uranium supply line and the processes that form it into a nuclear weapon. Or they like sensationalized clicks better. So here it is again. The IAEA defines what it calls a “significant quantity” of enriched uranium …
Thinking About Nuclear Deterrence
I have always been suspicious of arguments about nuclear deterrence. After the Soviet Union broke up, it seemed to me that those arguments needed to be redrawn, since they had been based on the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nobody’s done that. Back in the 1960s, Robert McNamara recognized …
Iran’s Action On The Nuclear Agreement
A lot of claims are flying around about Iran’s actions with regard to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Some things are not yet clear. Here’s the official statement and interpretation by Mehr News: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, in the fifth step in reducing its commitments, discards the last key component of its operational …
What Would It Take For Turkey To Build A Nuclear Bomb?
That was how David Sanger teased his and William Broad’s article on Twitter. “Some countries have missiles with nuclear warheads,” Turkey’s president told his ruling party. But the West insists “we can’t have them. This I cannot accept.” @WilliamJBroad and I ask: what would it take for Turkey to build the Bomb? https://t.co/1nbR6YOikh via @NYTimes …
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