My thoughts on the nuclear weapons aspect of the transition from President Trump to President Biden, from Inside Story. 

President Trump's unhinged behaviour, especially on January 6th, prompted concern about, and a flurry of interest in, how the so-called 'nuclear button' works. Here are some of the expert articles used in the media:

* Amy Woolf, for the Congressional Research Service, 2020, Defense Primer: Command and Control of Nuclear Forces.

​* William Perry, Politico, 2021, Trump Still Has His Finger on the Nuclear Button. This Must Change.

* Jeffrey Lewis & Bruno Tertrais, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 2019, The Finger on the Button: The Authority to Use Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear-Armed States.

The assassination of leading Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh​ generated considerable speculation. Here's some of the better informed and/or more considered examples:
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• Mark Fitzpatrick, IISS, "Assassinating a scientist to kill the Iran deal".

 

• Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times, "Dear Joe, It’s Not About Iran’s Nukes Anymore".

 

• Barbara Slavin,  The New York Times,  "Why Was Iran’s Top Nuclear Scientist Killed?".

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• David Patrikarakos, Spectator, "Why Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed now".

Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists has provided ​a critical assessment of the Pentagon's presentation of the US-China military balance in the Indo-Pacific. See also his look at the Pentagon's annual report on China's military developments.