Hacking Nukes (!), Eliminating Food Aid to Ethiopia, A Big Myth Behind Military Spending, and More
This week on Inkstick Media.
Hello everyone!
On the second episode of “Troubleshooting,” the new season of Things That Go Boom, host Laicie Heeley asked guests if nuclear weapons systems can be hacked. Makes sense to ask because everything is basically online now. The simple answer is… yes. But how would that go down? Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts to receive a new episode every two weeks.
This week marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean armistice agreement that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. But as Joy Lee Gebhard writes, there is no peace or moving on for Korean families who remain divided. She explains: “In addition to the heartache I’ve experienced due to separation from my family, I have also had to deal with the psychological trauma of being surveilled, interrogated, detained, and threatened just for the pursuit of wanting to be reunited with my family. Just being a refugee from North Korea is my crime.”
Taylor Barnes, our field reporter for the military-industrial complex, went to Utah this month to attend a Utah State Records Committee hearing. She had requested that a redacted version of a Northrup Grumman contract about intercontinental ballistic missile production be made available to the public. Why? So that we would know how many jobs are being created in Utah and what the projected salaries are. The hearing didn’t really go as Barnes hoped. Read about it here and in her newsletter.
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This week on Inkstick Media:
“Can You Hack a Nuke?” by Things That Go Boom (July 24)
As technology has advanced the US — and all the other nuclear weapons states — have started putting military communications, early warning systems, and even control of nuclear missiles themselves online. But what does that mean for hacking?
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“US Submarines Are Irritating North Korea” by Jenny Town, Jennifer Lind, and Robert Manning (July 24)
Being better prepared for potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula is important, but what is being done to reduce threats and lower tensions in the region?
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“‘We Carry On, But It Doesn’t Mean We’re Not in Pain’” by Anna Romandash (July 25)
In 2022, Russia expanded its war, and Ukraine’s entire population was directly impacted. This meant more work for professionals like Olha, who continued her psychological support groups while also being affected by the war.
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“Stopping Food Aid is Punishing Ethiopia’s Most Vulnerable People” by Raimy Khalife-Hamdan (July 25)
As people in Ethiopia bear the costs of their authorities’ actions and aid agencies’ responses, it is clear that instrumentalizing food aid to pressure reforms against aid diversion is an unnecessarily extreme and cruel strategy.
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“The Myth Behind Increased Military Spending” by Heidi Peltier (July 26)
US policymakers need to stop believing that high military spending is necessary for the economy. And data shows that that military spending is far from the best source of jobs.
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“Utah Records Committee Rules Government, Defense Contractor Can Keep Subsidies Contract Secret” by Taylor Barnes (July 26)
Utah has refused to release key information in its contract to grant tax refunds to Northrop Grumman, which is producing intercontinental ballistic missiles in the state.
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“Peace in Korea is My Last Wish” by Joy Lee Gebhard (July 27)
“Every day, to this day, I still think about returning home, to the North. I still dream of seeing my mother again.”
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“Pink and Greenwashing: Part II” by Kelsey D. Atherton (July 27)
The “race gap” has serious implications for how Americans of color view military service and the sacrifice associated with serving in the armed forces, and foreign policy in general.
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“Turkey’s Young People Wonder What’s Next As Erdoğan Starts Another Term” by Martin Makaryan (July 28)
Despair, uncertainty, and a thirst for freedom are prevalent among a large swath of Turkish youth in post-election Turkey.
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“Nigeria’s Forgotten Minority” by Promise Eze (July 28)
The experiences of Igbo Muslims highlight the micropolitics of insecurity and the granularity of community tensions in Nigeria.
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–From the desk of Sahar Khan, managing editor of Inkstick Media.