Nuclear Notes

  • Russia and North Korea: Present at the Creation

    Discussions about North Korea often focus on China, but it was actually Russia, formerly known as the Soviet Union, that played the central role in establishing the new country in 1945. The Soviet Union and North Korea enjoyed mostly strong relations until the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s. For…

  • The Alarming Reality of a Coming Nuclear Arms Race

    World leaders visited Hiroshima for what must have been an awkward discussion of the threat posed by the world’s nuclear weapons. Fred Kaplan, MIT Security Studies alum and staff writer at Slate, looks at the state of nuclear arms control and what we should expect next. (Hint: it’s not great.)

  • Why Would North Korea Conduct Another Nuclear Test?

    Sulgiye Park at the Union of Concerned Scientists asks “Why would North Korea Conduct another nuclear test?” A fair question. Dr. Park looks at the history of North Korea tests and considers the technical and political factors that might influence a decision by the North Korean leader.