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Mark Goodman

@markwgoodman.bsky.social
120 followers 38 following 231 posts

Retired (but not retiring) public servant, scientist, diplomat, lifelong wonk.

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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A lot of people have written thoughtful reflections on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Rather than repeat what they said, I wanted to offer a few personal recollections. Here’s a summary of what I wrote Substack yesterday. markwgoodman.substack.com/p/the-afterm... (1/6)
markwgoodman.substack.com
The Aftermath of 9/11
Where we went wrong
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I took a close look at the Bilateral Safeguards Agreement that was negotiated in connection with the U.S.-Saudi agreement for nuclear cooperation. I compare it to the Additional Protocol and conclude that it may do more harm than good. markwgoodman.substack.com/p/assessing-...
markwgoodman.substack.com
Assessing the Bilateral Safeguards Agreement with Saudi Arabia
It has modest value but is likely to undermine the Additional Protocol
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Just to be clear, the correct names are still the Department of Defense, the Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Ontario. What did I miss?
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 26/08/2026
“Chris Backemeyer brings exactly the kind of experience our country needs: a sophisticated understanding of national security coupled with an unwavering commitment to constitutional governance,” said Steven Cash, Executive Director of The Steady State.
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 23/08/2026
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Syria coming clean with the IAEA to resolve its questions about the plutonium production reactor Syria was building, with help from North Korea, until Israel bombed it in 2007. The Assad regime stonewalled for years. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
thenationalnews.com
IAEA and Syria hail progress on resolving Assad's nuclear secrets | The National
Rafael Grossi says Syria co-operating with agency after visits to sites
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 19/08/2026
Steady State member Julia Curlee spoke on MS NOW about the fear inside the intelligence community and the national-security damage caused when respected officers are publicly fired. “It is intolerable to me that that could both happen, and that people not know about it.” Watch here: zurl.co/C6DDE
zurl.co
WATCH: Trans CIA officer on serving under Trump: ‘Wanted my service but didn’t want anyone to know’
Julia Curlee spent decades serving the government across multiple presidential administrations, including Trump and Biden. However, she was fired quickly aft...
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The Washington Post published my letter today responding to its editorial about what should replace the supposedly dead global nuclear order.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The most underappreciated fact about nuclear weapons is their near uselessness. Aside from deterring nuclear or other existential attack against oneself, their stated roles have limited credibility and are more trouble than they’re worth.
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Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
81 years ago today, on August 9, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped upon the city of Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States. This was 3 days after the first atomic attack on Hiroshima.
Nagasaki, bomber's eye view: Close-up view of the head of the mushroom cloud at the Nagasaki explosion, as seen from either the bomber or the observation plane.Nagasaki, distant ground view: Photo of the Nagasaki cloud taken ~15 minutes after the atomic bomb detonation, by Hiromichi Matsuda, stationed at Koyagi-jima Island, some 5 miles / 8 km away.Nagasaki, before and after, aerial views. Nagasaki, ground view, some weeks after the attack.
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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Today in 1945, President Harry Truman made his first real decision about using the atomic bomb, ordering an end to further bombings and creating the policy of presidential sole authority (Truman was aware of the general plans but did not officially authorize the attacks on Hiroshima or Nagasaki).
A black and white photograph of President Harry Truman seated at his desk and looking at some papers (with a pencil in his right hand) aboard the U.S.S. Augusta while sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States from the Potsdam Conference in Germany, August 6, 1945.
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American Physical Society @apsphysics.aps.org · 11/08/2026
Physicists have measured the faint neutrino signal from a nuclear reactor after shutdown. The results show how these elusive particles could be used to non-intrusively monitor nuclear plants in real time. More in @physrevlett.aps.org: go.aps.org/45WElA0
Cutaway illustration of an underground detector hall, showing a cylindrical antineutrino detector tank lined with photomultiplier tubes, with technicians working on an overhead platform.Fisheye photograph taken from directly above inside an open detector vessel, showing hundreds of gold-colored photomultiplier tubes arranged in concentric rings radiating outward. Two technicians in white protective suits and helmets are visible near the center, standing on a small central platform during detector construction or maintenance.
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 30/07/2026
"Freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and freedom to call your city your own are all being attacked in Washington DC, as residents coexist with the armed reminders that there is a would-be authoritarian in the White House." Read Annie's powerful essay below: zurl.co/HmaxJ
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 05/07/2026
How can you help? Repost this. We don’t need money. We need channels to get our message out. This post includes a Starter Pack featuring us and other organizations working in the same space. Sharing it helps all of us reach new audiences. Please repost. go.bsky.app/RXFLYri
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence ought to be a cause for celebration. Why is it such a downer? markwgoodman.substack.com/p/happy-birt...
markwgoodman.substack.com
Happy Birthday! Ho hum.
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence ought to be a cause for celebration.
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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Strong rebuttle to Matthew Kroenig’s claim that “The U.S. Won the War With Iran.” tinyurl.com/yza5ztmk
tinyurl.com
Did the U.S. Actually Win the Iran War?
Assessing some counterintuitive takes on Operation Epic Fury.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
It’s time Washington security officials relearned the lesson that missile defense — especially strategic defense — sounds benign but provokes responses that often make things worse.
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 28/05/2026
The 11th Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended last week as it had in 2015 and 2022, deadlocked over a single regional issue, in this case Iran. The deadlock will be a subject of continuing debate, but here are a few initial observations from @markwgoodman.bsky.social.
thebulletin.org
The 11th NPT Review Conference ends with a whimper
The 11th Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended last week as it had in 2015 and 2022, deadlocked over a single regional issue, in this case Iran. The outcome shows why NPT…
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference has gone into closed session, without NGOs or live streaming. This give me the chance to update my series of posts on the conference.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
This is my fifth post on the NPT Review Conference. Last Wednesday the conference president released his initial draft outcome document. The public negotiations will be mostly for show. The real work will take place behind the scenes. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...
open.substack.com
Decorating the Christmas Tree
Negotiating a final document
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 04/05/2026
After 12 years as the Bulletin's editor in chief, John Mecklin @meckdevil.bsky.social is stepping down. If you're a deep thinker and top-flight journalist, here are the reasons you should want to replace him, from the man himself.
thebulletin.org
Take my job. Please.
After 12 years as the Bulletin's editor in chief, John Mecklin steps down. If you're a deep thinker and top-flight journalist, here's why you should want to replace him.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
My latest post on the airing of grievances at the NPT Review Conference. The problem with airing grievances at the start of the conference is that it makes it harder to achieve feats of strength -- compromise and consensus -- at the end. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...
open.substack.com
Multilateral Diplomacy as Festivus
The airing of grievances is underway. Will there be feats of strength?
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European Leadership Network (ELN) @theeln.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
As the #NPTRevCon gets underway, ELN Senior Network member Jan Hoekema continues our collaboration with @thebulletin.org. He writes that despite low expectations, small victories remain attainable. thebulletin.org/2026/04/prop...
thebulletin.org
Proposals for a brighter NPT Review Conference in times of nonproliferation darkness
In a dark world of wars and shifting geopolitical alignments, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is needed more than even some state parties may realize.
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 28/04/2026
In a dark world of wars and shifting geopolitical alignments, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is needed more than even some state parties may realize, writes Jan Hoekema. "The NPT is robust and serves the interests of all, no matter how varied the ideas, wishes, and demands of parties may be."
thebulletin.org
Proposals for a brighter NPT Review Conference in times of nonproliferation darkness
In a dark world of wars and shifting geopolitical alignments, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is needed more than even some state parties may realize.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Here's my second post on the NPT Review Conference. It's a summary of an article by Adam Scheinman and me in the @thebulletin.org on how to salvage the conference. It's not too soon, and I hope it's not too late. markwgoodman.substack.com/p/how-to-sal...
markwgoodman.substack.com
How to Salvage the NPT Review Conference
It’s not too soon to start. I hope it’s not to late.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I'm writing a series of substack posts on the NPT Review Conference. The first one revisits an article I wrote in the @thebulletin.org last year on misconceptions about the NPT. markwgoodman.substack.com/p/the-non-pr...
markwgoodman.substack.com
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Reminiscences and reflections of a practitioner
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
My latest post with reflections on the upcoming NPT Review Conference. More to come. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...
open.substack.com
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Reminiscences and reflections of a practitioner
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 23/04/2026
What, exactly, is the Golden Dome? Could it work? And is it likely to be affordable? To answer those questions, it's necessary to go back in time, to the Reagan-era SDI program (alias "Star Wars") and even earlier, writes Jeff Hecht @jhecht.bsky.social. ⬇️
thebulletin.org
Space-based missile defense: Golden Dome or gold brick?
To justify US attempts to acquire Greenland, the Trump administration has argued—among other things—that this island is essential to the operation of the
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 14/04/2026
Read our new Steady State article, which argues that the Trump administration’s rushed, coercive, and inexperienced approach to diplomacy with Iran undermines meaningful negotiation and risks escalating conflict rather than resolving it. zurl.co/fE4QT
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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Diplomatic malpractice. steadystate1.substack.com/p/the-art-of...
steadystate1.substack.com
The Art of No Deal
Why treating diplomacy like a real estate deal is pushing the U.S. deeper into conflict with Iran
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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
“We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms,” Vance said. Framing it that way ensures failure. Successful diplomacy requires a mutually acceptable outcome, not one side accepting the other's terms.
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Matthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Democrats need to emphasize, as this does, that the money spent on the war could have funded countless things the American people need, from health care to food for hungry children.
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 20/03/2026
“No federal employee is required to carry out an unlawful order. Ever. Authorization, classification, or direction from a superior does not convert illegal conduct into lawful conduct.” zurl.co/E9xzY
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
ICYMI My analysis in @justsecurity.org of the Trump administration’s international legal justification for attacking Iran. www.justsecurity.org/134290/us-ar...
justsecurity.org
An Unserious Justification for an Unnecessary War: Assessing the U.S. “Article 51” Letter to U.N. on Iran War
Former State Department attorney writes that the U.S. letter to the UN Security Council fails to identify legal basis for Iran attack.
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Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Good morning team. Let me expand on this.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
It could be both incompetence and malfeasance.
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 18/03/2026
What has President Trump achieved with the war in Iran? "The United States may have taken away some of Iran's nuclear capabilities—though crucially not its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and nascent bomb-making ability," writes Richard Nephew @richardmnephew.bsky.social.
thebulletin.org
Revisionism at Fordow: Why the WSJ is wrong about the history—and future—of Iran's nuclear program
The Wall Street Journal thinks Iran can't make rational choices in its strategic calculus. But Tehran has done so for nearly 25 years.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Today's news from the Guardian confirms that there was a nuclear deal to be had with Iran before Trump decided to bomb instead. The bombing does nothing to solve the nuclear problem and arguably makes it worse. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
theguardian.com
UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach
Exclusive: Jonathan Powell thought Tehran’s ‘surprising’ offer on its nuclear programme could prevent rush to war, sources say
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Matthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Latest reporting: UK nat'l security advisor Jonathan Powell took part in the pre-war Geneva talks, thought "surprising" Iran offer should be pursued: blend down all HEU and make no more; no sunset clauses; 3-5-year enrichment halt. It's an illegal and unnecessary war.
theguardian.com
UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach
Exclusive: Jonathan Powell thought Tehran’s ‘surprising’ offer on its nuclear programme could prevent rush to war, sources say
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
It’s a popular day for chutzpah
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CNN @cnn.com · 16/03/2026
A federal judge blocked parts of RFK Jr.'s push to reshape US vaccine policy, including efforts to reduce the number of shots recommended for children cnn.it/4rwhW4X
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
If there’s ever a revised version of Leo Rosten’s *The Joys of Yiddish* this should be one of the examples of chutzpah, alongside the boy who kills his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan.
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
It’s crystal clear now that Trump has lost control of this war. He badly misjudged Iran’s ability to retaliate. The region is on fire. 1/ I’m going to explain to you in this🧵what I’ve learned - in part from closed door briefings - about the four biggest current crises.
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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 13/03/2026
“The “no lawyers, no RoE, no worries” approach of the Secretary of Defense creates a public messaging nightmare for the United States armed forces...” zurl.co/CUncK
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
It seems Trump's negotiating team suffered from a fatal combination of incompetence and malfeasance. They probably weren't seriously trying to reach a deal, since Trump seemed committed to attacking Iran, and were unprepared to negotiate seriously. www.armscontrol.org/blog/2026-03...
armscontrol.org
U.S. Negotiators Were Ill-Prepared for Serious Nuclear Negotiations with Iran | Arms Control Association
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Jessica McKenzie @jessimckenzi.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
New @thebulletin.org: "Knowledge is rarely, if ever, advanced through censorship...Removing the climate science chapter advances neither science nor the law. It only deprives judges of a resource needed to do their jobs."
thebulletin.org
‘I’m not a scientist’: Why judges need the climate chapter in the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence
Removing the climate science chapter advances neither science nor the law. It only deprives judges of a resource needed to do their jobs.
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Matthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
This WaPo editorial on nuclear energy is wrong on so many different levels. 1st, the headline: there was no US government "freeze" on nuclear power. All recent Presidential administrations (including Obama and Biden) actively promoted nuclear energy. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | The government’s freeze on nuclear energy is thawing
The NRC speedily approved a construction permit for TerraPower’s nuclear reactor.
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Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Monte Mallin and I have an article on nuclear testing in the current issue of the Foreign Service Journal. I’ve written an update to take into account things that have happened since we wrote it last year. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...
open.substack.com
Is Nuclear Testing Needed?
An Update
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Matthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
"Unlikely" as in: regime change toward a more democratic and peaceful regime as a result of air power alone has literally NEVER happened.
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