Sign in

Mark Goodman

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

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

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Mark Goodman
Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Dear Mainers, I'm reposting this as the election nears. #SusanCollins #Maine
110953
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Have you tried responding “stop”? I find it works pretty well with political texts.
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I hope this anniversary will inspire us to change course and return to the Enlightenment ideals of our country’s founding. (6/6)
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The language—patriot, homeland, terrorism – evokes early 20th fascism of century and today’s far right. (5/6)
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Patriot Act gave the government broad new powers of surveillance and law enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security had a singular focus on preventing further terrorist attacks. These did some good but fed the erosion of civil liberties and the growth of an authoritarian state. (4/6)
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
But then we took a wrong turn. The invasion of Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, was a huge strategic blunder. The WMD threat – particularly the nuclear threat – was a pretext built on a deliberate misreading of the intelligence. Many Americans and Iraqis suffered and died needlessly. (3/6)
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I remember the shock and disorientation, the coming together, the Le Monde headline “Nous sommes tous Americains” – We are all Americans. President Bush told us it was wrong to scapegoat American Muslims. “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. … Islam is peace.” (2/6)
100
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
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🤦🏻
010
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The other shoe drops. This referral was legally required at some point once the Board found Iran in noncompliance back in June 2025.
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Ideally, the BSA could be a step toward a Saudi AP. More likely, it will set a harmful precedent by providing an alternative to the AP that undermines efforts to make it the universal IAEA safeguards standard. (4/4)
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The BSA would modestly strengthen the IAEA’s ability to verify that Saudia was not diverting nuclear material or misusing declared nuclear facilities, but it would not enable the IAEA to conclude that the Saudi nuclear program was exclusively peaceful. (3/4)
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The BSA contains elements of the AP, but its scope is much narrower. It applies only to sites where US-Saudi cooperation is taking place, and only to some nuclear activities at those sites. (2/4)
100
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
113
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
MADPA - Making Americans Die of Preventable diseases Again
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I worked with Chris. He’s the real deal.
000
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?
010
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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.
12914
Reposted by Mark Goodman
The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 23/08/2026
06020
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
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
National Airport will be closed for several hours, not for the race but for air show overflights, and four museums will be closed to all *except* those with Grand Prix tickets.
000
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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...
35235
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
James Muller and Henry David Abraham, founders of IPPNW, wrote their own letter, arguing global nuclear disarmament would be good for the United States (I agree) and that the TPNW is the way forward (I disagree). The TPNW is more of a manifesto than a workable treaty.
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
And here's the editorial I was responding to www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | The old global nuclear order is dead. What comes next?
As South Korea and Japan contemplate acquiring the bomb, the START treaty has expired, and China won't negotiate on arms control.
100
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Here's the online version. My letter is the last of four at this link. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | I know what U.S. Navy sailors sacrifice. Trump’s indifference stings.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and nonproliferation, in readers’ eyes.
100
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.
130
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Actually, Trump did not explain his reasons for attacking Iran. Over time, he expressed several, starting with regime change and including ending Iran’s missile threat and its support for regional trouble-makers. Iran’s nuclear program had already been obliterated, supposedly.
110
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.
023
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I hope the next Congress rescinds the future year funding and restores accountability.
121
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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.
251034453
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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.
16721
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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.
041
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
It was impressive technically and tactically, but strategically dubious. There’s no technological fix for bad decision making.
010
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
It turns out USAID was good for something after all. zeteo.com/p/ebola-cong...
zeteo.com
Blame Elon Musk and Donald Trump for the Out-of-Control Ebola Crisis
Jeremy Konyndyk, who helped lead the U.S. response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, writes about the deadly consequences DOGE's dismantling of USAID has had, as Congo struggles to contain the virus.
222
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
My final post on the NPT Review Conference: No Profiles in Courage. It’s mostly a listing of the main players and how they failed to live up to the moment, plus a few bright spots. Low expectations became a self-fulfilling prophesy. markwgoodman.substack.com/p/no-profile...
markwgoodman.substack.com
No Profiles in Courage at the NPT Review Conference
A leading explanation for why this year’s Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference ended without agreement is that the nuclear-weapon states (NWS) were unwilling to make good on their disarmament co...
001
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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
620586
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
You haven’t been paying attention
010
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
My latest article in the Bulletin on the deadlocked outcome of the NPT Review Conference. The United States insisted that the final declaration criticize Iran's non-compliance, which was unachievable because Iran could -- and did -- block consensus. thebulletin.org/2026/07/how-...
thebulletin.org
How the impasse over Iran sank the NPT Review Conference
For the third consecutive time, the NPT Review Conference ended without a consensus outcome. The culprit? An unyielding impasse between the United States and Iran that exposed the fundamental limits o...
110
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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
4192218
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.
000
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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.
021
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The difference between then and now: In 1974 honest Republicans held a criminal President to account. Where are they now?
1121
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
My flight home to DCA yesterday evening was delayed about an hour for this flyover. The departure was on again/off again and the same with the landing. It seems neither the airport nor the airline had advance notice of the timing. What's the point of that?
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The only vandalism was the corrupt and incompetent refurbishment of the reflecting pool by President Trump.
000
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.
011
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
My latest substack post cites that article and add reflections on the last day of the Review Conference. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...
open.substack.com
Lessons from the eleventh NPT review conference
Airing of grievances, but no feats of strength
000
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Here's a link to my full thread of posts from the Review Conference. bsky.app/profile/mark...
000
Reposted by Mark Goodman
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…
276
Mark Goodman @markwgoodman.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
That post also links to my article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which elaborates on those lessons. thebulletin.org/2026/05/the-...
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 revie...
110