A sampling of what's available...
North Korea from 30,000 feet
In the January/February issue of the Bulletin, Siegfried S. Hecker and Robert Carlin assessed North Korea's nuclear developments in 2011. That assessment preceded the death of Kim Jong-il on December 17. This article supplements the Hecker/Carlin piece, analyzing leadership change and possible future trajectories of North Korea's nuclear program.
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Nuclear weapons 2011: Momentum slows, reality returns
By Steven E. MillerIn the Doomsday Clock issue of the Bulletin, the author takes a look at five events that unfolded in 2011 and that seem certain to cast a powerful shadow in months and years to come. No new breakthroughs occurred, the author writes, adding that 2012 could be a much more difficult year.
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New START: One year later
By Kingston Reif
With the anniversary of New START's entry into force, it's time for an examination of the treaty's successes, future opportunities, and the hurdles nuclear arms reductions still face.
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How to prevent war with Iran
By Joshua PollackAs Israel attempts to disrupt Iran's nuclear ambitions and the United States enforces sanctions against the state, Iran calls for revenge. What needs to be done to avert war? Steps Israel, the United States, and Iran should -- and should not -- take.
Biosecurity in 2011: Not a year to change minds
In the Doomsday Clock issue, the author writes that the central questions for biosecurity in 2012 will focus on the international community's ability to cooperate and whether it can think creatively and strategically and agree to enter partnerships with scientists from all regions of the world.
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Going viral
By Laura Kahn
Scientists recently made the deadly H5N1 influenza virus more communicable. Clearly it's time for the National Institutes of Health to have greater oversight before it funds one of the seven deadly sins of biomedical research.
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Biological indecision
By Malcolm Dando
The Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference yielded both progress and missed opportunities.
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A hinge moment for the BWC?
By Kirk C. Bansak
The future of biological weapons control may depend on six countries -- China, Cuba, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia -- that have chosen to block progress on promising ways to counter biothreats internationally.
Climate change 2011: A status report on US policy
In the Doomsday Clock issue of the Bulletin, the authors write that a growing partisan divide in Congress stalled almost all new federal climate policy in 2011.
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Climate change in 2050: Where's the beef?
By Dawn StoverWhile government officials and environmentalists hunger for new technology, the most effective and inexpensive solutions to climate change -- such as eating less meat or having fewer children -- are inexplicably off the table.
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When politicians distort science
By Robert Socolow, Roger A. Pielke, Jr., and Randy OlsonRecently, Texas Gov. Rick Perry made misstatements not only about climate science -- but the scientists behind the science. How should scientists respond to such distortions? Over the upcoming weeks, Robert Socolow, Roger A. Pielke, Jr., and Randy Olson will provide authoritative, provocative analysis in this Roundtable discussion.
Nuclear energy 2011: A watershed year
In the Doomsday Clock issue of the Bulletin, the author reviews reassessments undertaken around the world after the 2011 accident in Japan and underlines Europe's critical role in whether the future of nuclear energy will be global.
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Energy.gov: Where information goes to die
By Dawn Stover
The US Department of Energy's redesigned website is supposed to make information easier to find. But for some types of information about nuclear energy, it may do just the opposite.
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America's nuclear future: Does the public have a fair say in it?
By Seth P. Tuler, Eugene A. Rosa, and Thomas Webler
Did the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future provide sufficient opportunities for public engagement? Three experts on participatory processes say the Commission fell short.
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Nuclear nomads: A look at the subcontracted heroes
By Gabrielle Hecht
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is a perfect example of how complex social and physiological realities are hidden from the world.
Web Edition
Columnists
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Profile
The science fiction effect
From Frankenstein to Jurassic Park, authors have been writing about "mad scientists" messing around with life. Science fiction can be a powerful tool to influence society's views of the life sciences -- one scientists should take advantage of.
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Profile
New START: One year later
With the anniversary of New START's entry into force, it's time for an examination of the treaty's successes, future opportunities, and the hurdles nuclear arms reductions still face.
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Profile
An education in occupation
Iraq's once great universities are in ruins -- thanks to the United States.
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Profile
How to prevent war with Iran
As Israel attempts to disrupt Iran's nuclear ambitions and the United States enforces sanctions against the state, Iran calls for revenge. What needs to be done to avert war? Steps Israel, the United States, and Iran should -- and should not -- take.
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Profile
Involuntary response
The second Nuclear Security Summit needs a real plan to secure nuclear materials worldwide -- rather than relying on voluntary efforts and nonbinding, unchecked agreements.
Analysis
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America's nuclear future: Does the public have a fair say in it?
Did the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future provide sufficient opportunities for public engagement? Three experts on participatory processes say the Commission fell short.
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A hinge moment for the BWC?
The future of biological weapons control may depend on six countries -- China, Cuba, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia -- that have chosen to block progress on promising ways to counter biothreats internationally.
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The defensive nature of China's "underground great wall"
Much evidence shows that China bases a portion of its small nuclear arsenal in a vast tunnel network to shield it from a first strike. A recent study contending the tunnels hide thousands of nuclear weapons is based on simplistic reasoning and rumor.
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Nuclear scientists as assassination targets
It is unclear who is responsible for the targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists and engineers, but the attacks raise unique policy questions about motives, effectiveness, repercussions, and legal and moral standards.
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Nuclear nomads: A look at the subcontracted heroes
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is a perfect example of how complex social and physiological realities are hidden from the world.
Roundtables
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When politicians distort science
Recently, Rick Perry made misstatements not only about climate science -- but the scientists behind the science. How should scientists respond to such distortions? Over the upcoming weeks, Robert Socolow, Roger A. Pielke, Jr., and Randy Olson will provide authoritative, provocative analysis.
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Is nuclear energy different than other energy sources?
The question remains whether nuclear energy will expand or decline, but what is it that differentiates this energy source from others? Over the upcoming weeks, the Bulletin's experts will provide thoughtful analysis as they explore this very question.
Op-Eds
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Crying wolf about an Iranian nuclear bomb
Predictions of an imminent Iranian nuclear bomb are extreme, worst-case scenarios that impede the sober pursuit of a diplomatic solution.
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Staying in the zone
The United States can help move the Middle East toward a WMD-free zone, regain leadership in the region, make diplomacy a strategic tool, and stem nuclear proliferation. If only it would.
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1994 Redux: The rebirth of North Korean leadership
Uncertainty about a North Korea under Kim Jong-un is endemic. The best way to reduce it is not to engage in idle speculation but to try diplomatic give-and-take.
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Second life: The questionable safety of life extensions for Russian nuclear power plants
Russia is extending the lives of its nuclear power plants, including Chernobyl-type reactors, without requiring environmental assessments. That's not only unsafe but also illegal.
Special Topics
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The Fukushima Issue - In Japanese
The English-language version of the September/October issue can be found here.
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From the Bulletin archives: Selected readings on Chernobyl
The crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, has brought the past tragedies at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island into the spotlight again. To offer a more thorough understanding of Chernobyl, the Bulletin has compiled this reading list from its archives. Dating from 1945 to 1998 and 1998 to present, the Bulletin's archives are a valuable resource for those interested in additional materials.
April 26, 2011, marks the 25-year anniversary of Chernobyl. In an effort to understand the lessons -- both learned and forgotten -- from this disaster, the Bulletin asked seven authors, including former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, to put this tragedy in perspective. Their articles can be found in the current issue of the Bulletin's digital journal titled "Chernobyl: Looking back, moving forward." The journal issue was intended to be reflective. Sadly, it turned out to be prescient.
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From the Bulletin archives: Selected readings on Three Mile Island
The nuclear crisis in Japan following the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, has brought the past tragedies at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl into the spotlight again. To offer a more thorough understanding of Three Mile Island, the Bulletin has compiled this reading list from its archives. Dating from 1945 to 1998 and 1998 to present, the Bulletin's archives are a valuable resource for those interested in additional materials.
Doomsday Clock
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Current Edition
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Laurie Garrett: Reporting on biosecurity from America to Zaire
Award-winning radio and newspaper reporter Laurie Garrett, now a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, describes the mistakes and misjudgments made by government officials in response to the anthrax attacks of 2001, and provides recommendations for what should be done now.
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Nuclear energy 2011: A watershed year
The author reviews reassessments undertaken around the world after the 2011 accident in Japan and underlines Europe’s critical role in whether the future of nuclear energy will be global. He also looks at nulcear governance and writes that the politicization of the International Atomic Energy Agency, its limited authority, and the inability of major powers to cooperate effectively as reasons that nuclear governance remains ineffective.
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Nuclear weapons 2011: Momentum slows, reality returns
The author takes a look at five events that unfolded in 2011 and that seem certain to cast a powerful shadow in months and years to come. No new breakthroughs occurred, the author writes, adding that 2012 could be a much more difficult year.
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Biosecurity 2011: Not a year to change minds
Yet another year passed without a biological attack, ensuring that the international community could spend its time focusing on strengthening global biosecurity measures, rather than responding to immediate threats. The central questions for biosecurity in 2012 will focus on the international community's ability to cooperate and whether it can think creatively and strategically and agree to enter partnerships with scientists from all regions of the world.
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Climate change 2011: A status report on US policy
A growing partisan divide in Congress stalled almost all new federal climate policy in 2011. The divide frustrated efforts to pass a cap-and-trade carbon permitting system, spawned a battle between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Congress, pushed most substantive climate change policy down to the municipal level, and hindered US ability to effectively negotiate an international climate agreement.
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North Korea 2011: Countdown to Kim Il-sung's centenary
As the diplomatic standoff in North Korea enters its fourth year, the crisis atmosphere on the Korean peninsula sparked by Pyongyang’s military actions in 2010 has eased. The authors argue that re-engagement with the immediate objective to stop a third nuclear test and prevent further missile tests is imperative to contain the nuclear threat for now; preventing the nuclear program’s expansion and preparing the way for the ultimate denuclearization of the peninsula -- critical goals -- must be left to a second step.
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Nuclear scientists as assassination targets
Five scientists and engineers connected with Iran’s nuclear program have been killed or injured in recent confirmed or possible assassination attempts. It is unclear who is responsible, but the attacks raise unique policy questions about motives, effectiveness, repercussions, and legal and moral standards.
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Projecting power: The security implications of space-based solar power
Space-based solar power is a system for delivering a potentially limitless supply of clean energy to a world desperately searching for alternatives to fossil fuels. However, while the system offers the promise of unlimited, “green” electrical power, it also has immense potential as a geopolitical tool.
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The next step in arms control: Eliminate the counterforce mission
US-Russian nuclear arms control efforts should seek to limit not just numbers of weapons but nuclear missions as well, the most dangerous being "counterforce," or an attack on enemy nuclear weapons before they can be launched.
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Where nuclear safety and security meet
A Fukushima-like nuclear accident does not have to be caused by nature. Similar results could be wrought by a dedicated terrorist group that gained access to a nuclear power plant and disabled its safety systems. To guard against natural accidents, terrorist sabotage, and possible combinations of these two classes of events, nuclear plant operators and regulators should consider a combined approach known as nuclear safety-security.