nuclear-weapons

The use of nuclear weapons in an urban area, particularly by a terrorist group, remains a palpable threat for many in a post-9/11 world. As populations congregate in ever-larger cities around the globe, scientists are seeking to measure all the likely physical impacts of such an attack on these dense clusters.

Despite international efforts to safeguard nuclear materials, the possibility of nuclear terrorism continues to be a concern for both policymakers and the public at large. In recent years, the threat has seemed acute enough to prompt contingency planning in the United States for the immediate aftermath of such an event should it occur.

Relations between the governments of the United States and Iran have been tense, often hostile, since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. After Iran began to develop a uranium enrichment program, however, tension has again risen acutely, and increasingly strict economic sanctions have been put in place — particularly on Iran’s crucial energy sector — by the U.S. and some of its Western and East Asian allies.

China and India are long-term rivals and nuclear powers who share a contested border. As their relative geopolitical strength increases and ability to project power expands, it is not clear how China and India will interact on the regional and global stages with one another in the years to come.