Kirk Bansak
Kirk Bansak is a Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and a former intern at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. He holds a B.A. in Social Anthropology with a foreign language citation in Mandarin from Harvard University. Within his anthropology curriculum, his focus was on the nexus between society, science, and security affairs. For his senior thesis, he examined the social and political dynamics of the U.S. biodefense program.
My Blog Posts
See All: Comments | Blog Posts Showing 5 of 24- Biological Discombobulation
12/16/2009 11:38:13 AM EST
In his new book, Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security, Dr. Gregory Koblentz, a member of the Center’s Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Weapons, observes that “biological weapons are the least well understood of the WMD” and that “use of terms such as WMD and ‘chem-bio’ has hindered our understanding of the international security implications of biological weapons.”Below are three concepts that illustrate the current challenge presented by biological weapons (BW)… - Experts Respond to Obama Bioweapons Announcement
12/11/2009 11:30:51 AM EST
Below the jump are a few responses issued by bioweapons policy experts in response to the Obama administration’s announcement on Wednesday and release of its biothreat strategy. Longer strides are being called for… - Obama Bioweapons Strategy Skirts Verification Protocol
12/10/2009 03:29:48 PM EST
The Obama administration in Geneva yesterday formally revealed its new strategy for strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).Anticipating the release of the White House’s “National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats,” Dr. Jonathan Tucker, a senior fellow with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told Global Security Newswire last Friday: “What's important is the U.S. government is giving political attention to this issue, and making it clear the U.S. is not a one-trick pony and that in addition to the very ambitious nuclear agenda, the government is also very concerned about biological weapons.”Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher did indeed proclaim the administration’s commitment to the issue. However, the strategy has drawn criticism for reaffirming the Bush administration’s opposition to creating an international monitoring system to verify treaty compliance… - North Korean Media Rebuffed
12/07/2009 11:38:51 AM EST
Last month, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) sought to authenticate North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapon state by citing a recent assessment by Robert Norris and Hans Kristensen. KCNA reported that “the Federation of American Scientists of the United States has confirmed (North) Korea as a nuclear weapon state.” However, KCNA’s report was an oversimplification of the Norris-Kristensen assessment. Yesterday, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency disseminated Kristensen’s rebuttal to the KCNA report, though over a week after it had been made. Better late than never… - Obama’s Diplomacy Pays Dividends
12/04/2009 06:04:08 PM EST
By Travis Sharp and Kirk BansakNorth Korea was randomly assigned today to what looks to be the “group of death” in next year’s World Cup in South Africa. In addition to North Korea, the group includes Brazil (ranked 2nd in the world), Portugal (5th), and the Ivory Coast (16th). Last month, the Telegraph reported that Kim Jong-Il has banned World Cup 2010 coverage on North Korean television except for victory highlights. In other words, no World Cup on TV in the DPRK next year.In contrast, the United States drew the much more manageable England (9th), Algeria (28th), and Slovenia (33rd). It may be worth checking FIFA’s bylaws to see if the United States can swap its preferable group placement in exchange for North Korean denuclearization. After all, as one wise guy tried to argue while we watched the draw at lunch, regular Americans don’t care about soccer anyway, right?The head of one regular American is definitely going to explode soon.NOH believes it is clear that President Obama is responsible for this fortuitous World Cup development. Clearly his diplomacy is making things easier internationally for the United States and more difficult for North Korea. Any assertion to the contrary is intellectually dishonest and fundamentally un-American.
