proliferation

McCain supports GTZ: Nuclear disarmament now mainstream

Republican presidential candidate John McCain earlier today gave a landmark speech on the responsibility to engage more seriously in disarmament. Given the two Democrat frontrunners have already explicitly leant their weight to the vision, this is the clearest indication yet that nuclear disarmament has now achieved the mainstream – and it is now out of touch to oppose it.

Frantz and Collins tag team Dr Khan

Conde Nast Portfolio writer Douglas Frantz and DC-based writer Catherine Collins, the authors of the new book The Nuclear Jihadist, mentioned previously here, were online November 12 at the Washington Post to discuss their Outlook article about AQ Khan and the Bush administration's refusal to force Pakistan to give him up.

Famous last words

Since I just quoted Dr Ben Ouagrham-Gormley in the last post, it seems only fair that I mention this past article she wrote, published in the July/August issue of Arms Control Today.

The bottom line of her article, 'An Unrealized Nexus? WMD-related Trafficking, Terrorism, and Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union' is this:

Congressional oversight? Surely you jest

We've mentioned the unfortunate plight of former US intelligence analyst Richard Barlow before. But this October 19 Congressional Quarterly article highlights a different aspect of his story; namely, is Congress really interested in trying to prevent nuclear proliferation or does it just grandstand? No, no, really, that is a serious question.

Singing about Dr Khan in South Africa

As everybody should know by now Pakistan has long made it clear that the West has much chance of questioning Dr Khan about his network as a snowball has of remaining frozen in hell. But that does not mean additional information about the doctor's network can't be obtained. I and others have noted in the past that there have been some, if sporadic and fitful, attempts to prosecute some of Dr Khan's former colleagues and suppliers.