By John Erath On August 11, news broke out of a fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine. Both the Russian and Ukrainian governments immediately blamed each other, but, as with previous incidents, it seems absurd that Ukraine would risk a nuclear incident on its own territory, whereas Russia celebrates its history […]
There won’t be a debate on nuclear issues this election cycle. But if there were…
By John Erath Thus far, nuclear weapons have not figured prominently into the issues playing a role in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. They should. Whether involving Russian nuclear blackmail, China increasing its arsenal or questions about the future of the U.S. deterrent, how the President addresses nuclear issues between 2025 and 2029 will have […]
Putin may need arms from North Korea’s Kim, but what is he willing to give in return?
Senior Policy Director John Erath spoke with CNN on Russian ties to North Korea. “Putin is highlighting that Russia has friends – and is propagating the idea that the war is not winnable for Ukraine because Russia will not run out of weapons,” said John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms Control and […]
House of WMD – Season 2: Team Black vs. Team Green
By John Erath In 2022, the HBO series House of the Dragon premiered, and I posted an item on this blog discussing the show, in particular the role of dragons as a metaphor for nuclear weapons. Not surprisingly, I received more comments about that post than most of the others I’ve done. More people, it […]
What If There Were No Diplomatic Solution?
By John Erath with Sarah Kirchner-Barney “We prefer a diplomatic solution.” This is inevitably the first sentence uttered by a U.S. government spokesperson in response to any international crisis. And with good reason. What would be the alternative to a diplomatic solution? Another war with no end in sight? Obviously, resolving issues without resorting to violence would be […]
