NORTH AMERICA
Forthcoming July 14, 2013
"Suspension of Nuclear Activities Is Not End of Diversion Risks"
Conference Paper
By David Nusbaum, Research Fellow, Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program
A long-standing goal of diplomacy with Iran is persuading Iran to suspend its enrichment operations while it clarifies its past activities and while negotiations proceed on a more permanent resolution to the nuclear crisis. However, there is problem in using suspension of nuclear material production as a negotiating step: The technical details of suspension have never been clearly defined. The international community needs to be aware of the diversion risks during a suspension of enrichment activities and should mitigate these risks by including the necessary verification measures during negotiations and signing of any agreement on suspension.
June 18, 2013
Belfer Center Perspectives On Iran
In the News
As debate over Iran's nuclear program intensifies, Belfer Center experts on Iran have been interviewed and quoted in numerous media reports and have written opinion pieces on the issues involved. Here are recent published perspectives.
June 17, 2013
"Preventing Insider Theft: Lessons from the Casino and Pharmaceutical Industries"
Journal Article, Journal of Nuclear Materials Management, volume 41
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
Through structured interviews and a literature review, we assess which approaches to protection against insider thefts in the casino and pharmaceutical industries could be usefully applied to strengthen protections against insider theft in the nuclear industry, where insider thefts could have very high consequences.
June 16, 2013
"Win a Few, Lose a Few"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"The United States and its Allies outsmarted the Russians on Libya — by enticing it into supporting a UN Security Council vote against Qadhafi. So far, Russia has outsmarted the West on Syria, by blocking a move in the Security Council against Bashar al-Asad."
June 13, 2013
Edward Snowden's Misplaced Idealism
Op-Ed, Washington Post
By David Ignatius, Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project
In June 13th's edition of the Washington Post, David Ignatius discusses his skepticism regarding Edward Snowden's claims that leaking information about NSA surveillance programs is justified.
Forthcoming 2014
Prosecuting Cyberterrorists: Applying Traditional Jurisdictional Frameworks to a Modern Threat
Journal Article, Stanford Law & Policy Review, volume 25
By Paul Stockton and Michele Golabek-Goldman
As you read this, U.S. adversaries are scouring our financial system, electric power grid, and other parts of our critical infrastructure for vulnerabilities to cyber sabotage. President Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Lisa Monaco, has argued that prosecutions of cyberterrorists “will be critical tools for deterrence and disruption” of such attacks. However, a critical gap lies in building the legal framework needed to prosecute cyberterrorists who strike from abroad.
June 13, 2013
"Dangerous Cargo: Action Needed on Hazardous Materials"
Op-Ed, Power & Policy Blog
By Lewis M. Branscomb, Director Emeritus of the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program; Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Corporate Management and Ryan Ellis, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age
"The threat of terrorism complicates matters even further. In April, two men in Canada were arrested for plotting an attack on rail lines near Toronto. In the US, homeland security officials have warned that shipments of hazardous materials are an attractive terrorist target."
June 12, 2013
"A Smarter Way to Deal with China"
Op-Ed, Los Angeles Times
By Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
"In meeting many of the new transnational challenges, the U.S. has to get away from thinking just about power over others and think about power with others. We do not want to become so fearful that we are not able to find ways to cooperate with China."
June 10, 2013
"Original Sin and the American Constitution"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"What the original Constitution did was to implicitly recognize slavery and to put down in black and white for history what was part of the genesis of the American republic....it gave the impression that a black man was worth three-fifths of a white man. (Indians were not part of the counting and were not taxed)."
Jun 10, 2013
"On Iran's Nuclear Program, Obama Should Take a Cue From JFK and 'Go First'"
Op-Ed, Christian Science Monitor
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
"Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University whose message echoes down the decades to the challenges America faces today – including the challenge of Iran."
