North Korea’s 2009 Nuclear Test, and More from CRS
In May 2009, North Korea announced that it had conducted its second nuclear explosive test. Although the event generated a seismic signature consistent with a nuclear explosion, it produced no detectable release of radioactive gases or particulates (fallout). This either means that North Korea actually conducted a non-nuclear simulation of a nuclear test, or else it managed to achieve complete containment of a real nuclear explosion. Since detection of radioactive emissions provides the most unambiguous confirmation of a nuclear explosion, the successful containment of a nuclear test could be problematic for verification of a treaty banning such explosions.
This conundrum is explored in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. See “North Korea’s 2009 Nuclear Test: Containment, Monitoring, Implications” (pdf), April 2, 2010.
Congress has refused to make reports like this directly available to the public. Other noteworthy new CRS products obtained by Secrecy News that have not been publicly released include the following (all pdf).
“Judicial Activity Concerning Enemy Combatant Detainees: Major Court Rulings,” April 1, 2010.
“Federal Building and Facility Security,” March 24, 2010.
“The U.S. Motor Vehicle Industry: Confronting a New Dynamic in the Global Economy,” March 26, 2010.
“U.S. Initiatives to Promote Global Internet Freedom: Issues, Policy, and Technology,” April 5, 2010.
It is in the interests of the United States to appropriately protect information that needs to be protected while maintaining our participation in new discoveries to maintain our competitive advantage.
The question is not whether the capital exists (it does!), nor whether energy solutions are available (they are!), but whether we can align energy finance quickly enough to channel the right types of capital where and when it’s needed most.
Our analysis of federal AI governance across administrations shows that divergent compliance procedures and uneven institutional capacity challenge the government’s ability to deploy AI in ways that uphold public trust.
From California to New Jersey, wildfires are taking a toll—costing the United States up to $424 billion annually and displacing tens of thousands of people. Congress needs solutions.