Misreading Khamenei’s Nuclear Role
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has played his cards right. As the June 30 deadline for a comprehensive nuclear accord approaches, Iran’s supreme leader has maintained his rhetoric of resistance, dismissing...
View ArticleWeekend Reading: Independence Day Edition
Happy Fourth of July weekend to all of our readers! We’re sure you’ll all enjoy the festivities. What to do while you’re waiting for the grill to heat up, beer to cool, cocktails to be mixed, and...
View ArticleDoes the Legality of Nuclear War Matter?
Seventy years ago, Japan offered its unconditional surrender to the United States and Allied Powers. The surrender was predicated, at least in part, on the first usage of nuclear weapons in war. The...
View ArticleTo Stem the Tide: Nuclear History, American Interests, and the Iran Deal
The current debate in Washington over the Iran nuclear deal is both polarizing and highly politicized, making it difficult to rationally discuss the most important question — how does the agreement fit...
View ArticleHow the AP Got the Iran Inspections Story Wrong
A new controversy over a small facility on an Iranian military base at Parchin now threatens to blow up the support President Obama needs to get the Iranian nuclear agreement past Congress....
View ArticleHow the Iran Deal Could Complicate U.S. Efforts to Prevent a Nuclear Breakout
President Obama has often stated, regarding Iran’s potential nuclear weapons ambitions, that “all options are and will remain on the table” and that the United States would be able to deal with such an...
View ArticleOppenheimer, Martinis, and the Atom Bomb
World War II marked the second time in the industrial era when the world’s great powers threw the entirety of their military and economic might against one another. Like the First World War,...
View ArticleTime to Internationalize the Dialogue on Nuclear Armed Cruise Missiles
A new dialogue is emerging in national security circles on what President Obama may do to advance his nuclear weapons policies in his final year in office. Much of the conversation is centered on Obama...
View ArticleNuclear Cruise Missile Opponents are Pushing a Dangerous Line
It has become popular to oppose plans for a new U.S. nuclear-capable cruise missile. They are immoral. They needlessly risk nuclear war. They stoke “arms-racing” and greater nuclear proliferation. And...
View ArticleThe Cyber Threat to Nuclear Deterrence
In late 2010, when the Stuxnet worm was reported to have targeted and disabled nuclear enrichment centrifuges in Iran, a proverbial line in the sand was crossed that linked the rising awareness of...
View ArticleWeekend Reading: October 18
It’s Friday again, and here at WOTR we’re most excited that the government is open for business and that we surpassed EIC Ryan Evans in Twitter followers. Here’s what our team is reading this weekend:...
View ArticleConfronting Reality: The Saudi-Pakistani Nuclear Nexus
In the whispering campaign that passes for international diplomacy between Iran and its Sunni Arab neighbor states, late 2013 has been a high-volume period. Saudi Arabia’s pique at American-led...
View ArticleWeekend Reading: January 24
Happy Friday and happy weekend from WOTR, where we’re looking forward to some warmer temperatures coming our way. Here’s what our editorial team is reading this weekend: News this week: As the U.S....
View ArticleEssential Reading for the Apocalypse
After our two recent podcasts (one and two) on contemporary nuclear issues, we asked some of our guests to recommend a few books that they consider essential for understanding nuclear issues. Here is...
View ArticleNukes, Crimea, and Possible Putins
As the Crimea crisis steadily worsens, many have floated the counterfactual: what if Ukraine hadn’t given up its nuclear weapons? Walter Russell Mead and other commentators have pointed to an old...
View ArticleDeserting a Friendship Sealed in Blood: A Farewell to Nuclear North Korea
On February 12, 2013, Chinese citizens in Yanji City, a small town less than 100 miles from the North Korean border, felt the aftershock of North Korea’s third underground nuclear test, which was...
View ArticleA Rational Approach to Nuclear Weapons Policy
Over the past several years, the U.S. nuclear enterprise has taken an increasing number of shots from public advocates proposing further defense budget cuts and continued reductions in force. These...
View ArticleNorth Korea’s Non-Test: Lessons from a Non-Event
Last week, pundits buzzed with anticipation of North Korea’s fourth nuclear weapons test, which some expected while President Barack Obama was in Seoul. But the dog did not bark. Despite talk of a...
View ArticleIran Negotiations Cannot Be Based on “Breakout” Alone
Negotiators from the P5+1 and Iran have agreed on four more months, beyond the original July 20 deadline, to ensure that they are able to negotiate the best deal on Iran’s nuclear program. But some of...
View ArticleHow to Respond to Russian Violations of the INF Treaty
According to the State Department, Russia has fired a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) banned by the 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty or INF. This is new territory—clearly offensive...
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