Book Review: The Limited Power of Nuclear Threats
George Perkovich
As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to flaunt Russia’s nuclear weapons, U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that he will “greatly strengthen and expand [U.S.] nuclear capability,” and Kim Jong Un makes bellicose nuclear threats, an old question re-emerges: do nuclear weapons enable bullies to get their way? The answers to that question have policy ramifications. The dangers of nuclear proliferation and the policy responses to it should be assessed differently if nuclear weapons do not significantly augment a possessor’s coercive power. So too in deciding the quantitative and qualitative requirements of a nuclear arsenal, policymakers should assess whether superiority adds to ¬effective coercive power.
Iran Nuclear Deal Will Remain for Now, White House Signals
Gardiner Harris and David E. Sanger | New York Times
The Trump administration signaled on Wednesday that it would not, for now, jettison the Iran nuclear deal, despite the president’s harsh criticism of the agreement during the campaign. Facing a deadline of Thursday, the administration said it was waiving sanctions against Iran, as required under the deal. To have done otherwise would have violated the accord, freeing the Iranians to resume the production of nuclear fuel without any of the limits negotiated by the Obama administration two years ago.
The Hacking Group That Leaked NSA Secrets Claims It Has Data on Foreign Nuclear Programs
Brian Fung | Washington Post
The hacking group that leaked the bugs that enabled last week's global ransomware attack is threatening to make public even more computer vulnerabilities in the coming weeks — potentially including “compromised network data” pertaining to the nuclear or missile programs of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, as well as vulnerabilities affecting Windows 10, which is run by millions of computers worldwide.
Struggling Nuclear Industry Lobbies State Governments For Help
Marie Cusick | NPR
Just like coal companies, America's nuclear power industry is having a tough time. It faces slowing demand for electricity, and competition from cheaper natural gas and renewables. And now, touting itself as a form of clean energy, the nuclear industry is lobbying state legislatures with a controversial pitch for help.
Kepco Restarts Takahama No. 4 Reactor Amid Anti-Nuclear Protest
Eric Johnston | Japan Times
Kansai ElectricPower Co.’s Takahama No. 4 reactor was restarted Wednesday just over 14 months after it was forced to shut down, bringing to four the number of reactors currently operating in Japan. “The No. 4 reactor was turned back on at 5 p.m. today. It’s an important step, but it’s not the end. We’ll proceed with operations carefully, with an attitude of always having safety as the top priority,” Kepco President Shigeki Iwane said in a statement following the restart.
Kazakhstan Opens Nuclear Security Training Center
World Nuclear News
Kazakhstan has opened a new facility to provide security training to its nuclear facility personnel. The Nuclear Security Training Centre (NSTC) has been developed with the support of the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).