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Author Archives: Nuclear Risk
Risky Business, Part II
My last post highlighted a little-known nuclear risk during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, involving the mistaken belief of an American F-16 pilot that the Pentagon had been attacked by the Russians instead of terrorists. Nuclear risk also was enhanced on … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 9/11, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, Richard Armitage, Richard Clarke, stanford, terrorism
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Risky Business
Even though the Cold War is supposed to have ended, the US and Russia still test each other’s air defenses. How much risk is there in such actions? More than one might think. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 9/11, cold war, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, russia, Russian bombers, stanford
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Russia Hit by 400 Kiloton Blast
A meteor hit Russia with a 300 to 500 kiloton blast yesterday morning, injuring at least 950 people. Since the blast was comparable to that of a strategic nuclear warhead, how much risk there is of a similar event being mistaken for a nuclear attack and igniting an accidental, but horrific war. Continue reading
A More Effecitive Approach to North Korea’s Nuclear Program
North Korea appears to have conducted its third nuclear test today, with a New York Times article stating, “a magnitude 3.9 magnitude earthquake and a magnitude 4.5 earthquake were detected in the North’s 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests. South Korean, U.S. and Japanese seismic monitoring agencies put the magnitude of Tuesday’s quake between 4.9 and 5.2.” Continue reading
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Tagged martin hellman, north korea, nuclear risk, nuclear test, nuclear war, nuclear weapons, siegfried hecker, stanford
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A Russian Lesson
RT (formerly Russia Today) has an article today which quotes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as vowing that Russia will never again make the mistakes that sucked it into Afghanistan … Maybe we can learn something from the Russians? Continue reading
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Tagged afghanistan, martin hellman, nuclear risk, russia, Sergey Lavrov, stanford, war and peace
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Does Nuclear Deterrence Deter?
A few years ago, my wife pointed out that whoever coined the term nuclear deterrence was a marketing genius: it implies that threatening to destroy the world will deter behavior we don’t like. But what happens if nuclear deterrence morphs … Continue reading
India Warns Kashmiris to Prepare for a Nuclear Attack
One of the likeliest flash points for a nuclear war is the enduring conflict between India and Pakistan, which have scores of nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, several fatal incidents across the disputed Kashmir border have stoked new fears that the firing of bullets could escalate into something even worse. Continue reading
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Tagged india, india-pakistan war, kashmir, martin hellman, nuclear deterrence, nuclear risk, nuclear weapons, pakistan, stanford
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Could Japan Drag America into War with China?
Several earlier posts on this blog have highlighted the risk that China and Japan might come to blows over a few tiny, uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. One pathway to war is inadvertent escalation as a result of both nations sending jet fighters over the disputed territory. As noted in an an article in yesterday’s New York Times: Continue reading
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Tagged china, Diaoyu, japan, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, nuclear weapons, Senkaku, stanford, war and peace
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An American Dagger Pointed at Russia’s Heart?
The Magnitsky Bill and the Russian “anti-Magnitsky Bill” seem like petty squabbling, but a recent article in The National Interest (a publication of the Nixon Center, so it’s not left wing) maintains that the Magnitsky Bill is “a dagger pointed at the heart of Russia’s existing governmental structure.” Here are the most relevant excerpts: Continue reading
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Tagged anti-Magnitsky Bill, Dima Yakovlev, Jackson-Vanik, Magnitsky Bill, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, nuclear weapons, russia
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Are We Winning the War on War?
My January 5 post, “A Hopeful Side to Human Nature,” presented evidence which indicates that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the better angels of our nature may be winning the war on war. Today’s Wall Street Journal had an article which adds to that evidence. It starts off: Continue reading
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Tagged better angels, beyond war, martin hellman, max boot, nuclear risk, nuclear weapons, stanford, winning the war on war
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