Tourists walk past a diagram of North Korean missiles

A post-launch examination of the Unha-2

By David Wright and Theodore A. Postol

Two preeminent ballistic missile experts describe what they believe occurred during North Korea's April rocket launch and what the test results reveal about Pyongyang's current missile capabilities.

River delta

How to save the world's river deltas

By Charles J. Vörösmarty

Scientists are considering several approaches to slowing and even reversing the pandemic deterioration of river deltas.

Diagnostic test of iodine-131 thyroid uptake at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Outlaw nonconsensual human experiments now

By Cheryl Welsh

Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. government tested the effects of radiation and mind-control drugs on unsuspecting Americans. Think we've come a long way since then? Think again.

  • The security impact of the neurosciences

    The U.S. government is exploring using a bevy of advanced neuroscience technologies to support security-related missions--but at what cost?

  • The military application of neuroscience research

    Defense officials have dreamt up a range of uses for neuroscience research aimed at monitoring brain function and affecting brain performance in humans and animals alike. Yet, the impact of this research is just beginning to become apparent.

  • The militarization of neuroscience

    The U.S. military's interest in physics helped produce the Bomb. Now the Pentagon is mining neuroscience for a host of futuristic weapons.

3D layout of a pebble bed modular reactor

The demise of the pebble bed modular reactor

By Steve Thomas

With South Africa's pebble bed modular reactor teetering on the edge of oblivion, what does the future hold for this once-celebrated reactor design?

  • Africa's pursuit of nuclear power

    Like the rest of the world, many questions need to be answered before Africa can view nuclear power as a viable solution to its energy woes.

  • Eastern Europe's nuclear dilemma

    Former Eastern Bloc states that joined the EU were forced to close their Soviet-era nuclear plants. Ironically the move has pushed them back into Moscow's orbit.

  • Who will succeed ElBaradei?

    After a failed March vote, predicting who will be the IAEA's next director-general is murkier than ever.

  • Behind the scenes of Three Mile Island

    In the midst of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, former NRC Commissioner Victor Gilinsky writes that it was not all deadly serious--at some points it was just absurd.

Web Edition

Columnists

  • Hugh GustersonProfile

    Iran: Looking forward

    As Tehran's hard-liners reassert their authority after the country's disputed election, it will be harder than ever to convince them to abandon their nuclear program.

  • Gordon AdamsProfile

    Budgeting for national security

    It may seem as though President Obama is restraining defense spending, but he continues to let the Pentagon do his strategic security planning for him.

  • Malcolm DandoProfile

    Can the U.S. lead the way on dual-use education?

    A new report by a prominent U.S. biosecurity group presents a strategy for getting the word out on dual-use life science research. Will the world follow?

  • Laura H. KahnProfile

    The problems with the Department of Homeland Security

    Since its inception, DHS has been plagued with bureaucratic infighting and a bloated mandate, leaving the United States unprepared for a future terrorist attack or natural disaster.

  • Hugh GustersonProfile

    The CTBT debate begins again

    With President Obama vowing "aggressive" and "immediate" ratification of the CTBT, the treaty's opponents already have started practicing their arguments against it.

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Analysis

  • A post-launch examination of the Unha-2

    By David Wright and Theodore A. Postol

    Two preeminent ballistic missile experts describe what they believe occurred during North Korea's April rocket launch and what the test results reveal about Pyongyang's current missile capabilities.

  • Will the Senate support new nuclear arms reductions?

    By John Isaacs and Kingston Reif

    Nothing in Washington comes easy; yet early indications are that there is strong bipartisan support for a new arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.

  • The demise of the pebble bed modular reactor

    By Steve Thomas

    With South Africa's pebble bed modular reactor teetering on the edge of oblivion, what does the future hold for this once-celebrated reactor design?

View All

Op-Eds

  • Achieving détente with Iran

    By John Tirman

    Despite the post-election chaos in Iran, the U.S.-Iranian relationship isn't damaged irreparably. Tehran's nuclear program just can't serve as the starting point of a new dialogue.

  • Marketing new chemical weapons

    By Neil Davison

    Chemical weapons that were considered offensive and unsafe are getting a linguistic makeover. But don't be fooled. Their names might have changed, but they're still just as dangerous.

  • Time for a missile test ban

    By Bharath Gopalaswamy and Jürgen Scheffran

    Missile tests are occurring with alarming frequency these days--see recent activities by North Korea and Iran. So the time might be right to seek a global missile test ban.

  • Locking down the NPT

    By Henry Sokolski and Victor Gilinsky

    The ability of countries to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty without penalty must be rectified. The recent nuclear test by North Korea, a former treaty member, is a case in point.

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Special Topics

  • The North Korean nuclear test

    Once again, North Korea has managed to capture the world's attention with its nuclear weapons program--this time by conducting its second nuclear test. Not surprisingly, the action drew scorn from Pyongyang's allies (e.g., China) and adversaries (e.g., the United States) alike. A technical and political look at Monday's test.

  • The legacy of Iraq's nuclear weapons program

    Saddam's nuclear weapons program is destroyed, but its impact on Iraq and its people persists. For years independent experts and international monitors tried to piece together the facts. Now a new report by a U.S.-led research team offers the most complete accounting to date of the condition of Al Tuwaitha, the country's largest former nuclear weapons site.

  • Inside the Iranian nuclear program

    Using the occasion of his country's "Nuclear Technology Day," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced two breakthroughs in Tehran's nuclear program. Iran is getting closer to its stated goal of a peaceful nuclear energy program--or according to its doubters, a nuclear weapon. An examination of Iran's quest to master the atom.

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The John A. Simpson Collection. This collection of the Bulletin's most recent ten years honors John A. Simpson and was made possible by a generous gift from The Scorpio Rising Fund and additional donors

Current Edition

  • Emerging strategic dilemmas in U.S.-Chinese relations

    By Joshua Pollack

    Since the Cold War, arms control negotiations have been strictly a bilateral affair between Washington and Moscow. But as times have changed, so must this dynamic. Enter China.

  • Interview: Stephen Schneider

    By Bulletin Staff

    With climate change now front and center on the Obama administration's radar, a leading climate researcher's decades-long effort to communicate to the public the true scope of menace is bearing fruit.

  • A new theory for nuclear disarmament

    By Lawrence Freedman

    The international system's dynamic, constantly changing character should warn against contemplating a grand disarmament plan along traditional lines. We need a new theory because we have a new system.

  • How light water reactors figure into negotiations with North Korea

    By Jeff Goldstein

    North Korea badly needs energy assistance and has long wanted it in the form of light water reactors, creating a potential bargaining chip in the next round of discussions with Pyongyang.

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