Bombing reactors: why, how and when?
This lecture reviews the history of strikes against nuclear facilities, dubbed in the intelligence jargon as ‘counter-proliferation operations’. The lecture reviews the tactical and strategic considerations which led Israel to conduct two such strikes against hostile nuclear reactors in Iraq and Syria and reviews the relevant considerations in the context of a possible strike against the Iranian nuclear program.
Israel’s nuclear program: from humble roots to ‘killer dolphins’
This lecture reviews the history of Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program, based on archival documents gathered from archives around the world. Starting with Chaim Weizmann’s early thought on atomic energy and its uses in the days following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the lecture reviews the major milestones in Israel’s nuclear development, leading to its current regional nuclear hegemony.
Intelligence and nuclear weapons program
This lecture reviews the challenges nuclear weapons program create for intelligence gathering operations, starting with the Soviet espionage against the Manhattan project and ending with the current intelligence efforts targeted at the Iranian nuclear program.
Dr. Or (Ori) Rabinowitz
Global nuclear proliferation
Israel
English, Hebrew
Or Rabinowitz (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, where she researches and teaches issues relating to global nuclear proliferation, Israel’s nuclear program, and intelligence studies. Before becoming an academic she was a journalist, working in several Israeli media outlets including Galey Zahal, Ma’ariv and Channel 10 News. She holds a PhD degree awarded by the War Studies Department, King’s College London, an MA degree in Security Studies and an LLB degree in Law, both from Tel-Aviv University.