Since I just blogged about Iran I’m thinking what does it say about American intelligence abilities that some of the best information on Iran’s nuclear program and, for that matter, Khan’s network, has come from private sources. Now I’ve got nothing against private sources; in fact, I’ve long been a huge proponent of increased reliance on OSINT. But it does raise the issue of how effective and interested the US government is in taking out clandestine nuclear trafficking networks.
Content Type
A front company by any other name is still a front company
On June 13 the Washington Times ran an article asserting that Iran is using newly created front companies in a bid to frustrate US and United Nations sanctions on its suspect nuclear programs. The charges were made by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which supports the overthrow of the regime in Tehran.
From the frying pan into the fire: US Arms sales and military assistance to the Persian Gulf and Middle East
Continuing arms sales and military assistance programs are premised on an unproved Iranian threat, will affect the regional strategic balance and support authoritarian regimes.
Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr, joins BASIC board of advisors
The Chairman of the BASIC Council, Professor James O\’Connell, announced today that Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr, has joined the BASIC Advisory Board. As a BASIC Advisor, Amb. Graham will help guide the organization\’s research and advocacy programs in the field of nuclear non-proliferation.
Getting to Zero Update
In this issue: Arms control ; Country reports ; Nuclear energy
‘Zero Nuclear Weapons’: Ambassador Kampelman in London
BASIC sponsored a week-long visit by Ambassador Max Kampelman (U.S.-ret.) to London to discuss the \’Zero nuclear weapons\’ agenda. During his visit, Amb. Kampelman delivered a speech to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation and WMD.See the full text of his speech to the All-Party Parliamentary Group below.
Four major UK security announcements on eve of parliamentary recess
The UK government released a total of 46 written statements on one day last week, just as MPs were leaving parliament for the summer recess. The statements included four important policy announcements on defence and security issues.