Monthly Archives: April 2023

India on Brahmos Pakistan Incident

During a recent legal proceeding, the Indian government, explaining why it canned three IAF officers in connection with the March 2022 Brahmos missile launch into Pakistan, made this observation about that incident:

“Admittedly, this is the matter where we stood embarrassed before the international community. The missile didn’t land in India, it landed in Pakistan. It could have led to a situation of war and that country made a representation to the United Nations,” additional solicitor general (ASG) Chetan Sharma told a bench of justices Suresh Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna.


UK on Israeli Nuclear Weapons

I don’t remember seeing this:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about (1) whether that country possesses nuclear weapons, and (2) any plans by that government to declare any such possession

15 February 2021

Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. The UK Government has called on Israel to join the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state and to upgrade its arrangement to a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Via Declassified UK.

R Dearlove on Iraq WMD

From a recent BBC piece:

“On three occasions I questioned [former MI-6 head] Richard Dearlove about the provenance of this intelligence,” says the then foreign secretary, Jack Straw. “I just had an uneasy feeling about it. But Dearlove assured me on each occasion that these agents were reliable.” However, Mr Straw says that it is ultimately for politicians to take responsibility, because they make the final decisions.

Asked if he looks back on Iraq as an intelligence failure, Sir Richard’s answer is simple: “No.” He still believes Iraq had some kind of weapons programme and that elements may have been moved over the border to Syria.