Nuclear Weapons
French criticism of nuclear ban treaty highlights Canberra’s dilemma
On 28 September, the Assembly of French Polynesia unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the nuclear ban treaty that…
For America’s atomic bomb legacy, the past is present
Over the past few weeks, Oppenheimer, the Hollywood biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”, has earned more than US$425 million at the box…
Nuclear weapons: “Oppenheimer” won’t make a difference, but Australia can
Oppenheimer is a big disappointment for those of us who hoped that this super-hyped, all-star-cast new movie might give new life to the nuclear disarmament cause, creating new…
Existential risk is a whole-of-society challenge
Existential risks have been in the news recently. In May, a group of prominent artificial intelligence experts and industry leaders warned that “Mitigating the risk of extinction…
North Korea/South Korea: Who’s threatening who?
Kim Yo-jong, sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, delivered a warning last week about Pyongyang’s plans for its nuclear program. “The second mission,” she said of the regime…
Will US reassurance be enough to halt South Korea’s nuclear ambition?
Years of painstaking diplomacy to ensure less nuclear weapons, less nuclear states, and strong anti-nuclear weapons norms appear to be unravelling. It is not only fringe actors on…
“If the problem becomes more serious”: South Korea talks going nuclear
The political and security environment on the Korean Peninsula has changed dramatically over the past year, with tensions reaching new levels because of continuous confrontations…
The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles
Almost 3 million readers turned to The Interpreter over the year – an audience that increasingly reaches far beyond Australia. In 2022, roughly four out of every five Interpreter…
North Korea’s “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” goes ballistic
On 18 November, Kim Jong-un introduced his daughter, Ju-ae – most likely the very child that basketball player Dennis Rodman mentioned having met during his 2013 trip to North…
All in the family: North Korea’s means of nuclear survivability
The photos of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un standing hand-in-hand with a girl, reported to be the first public sighting of his daughter Kim Ju-ae, watching the launch of the…