Cold War

The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to supply Cold War-era plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads to companies that would convert the material into fuel for nuclear power plants. The proposal has generated debate and some unease among experts and observers, who question the risks of handling and commercializing the dangerous material.

A new video essay examining Soviet nuclear artillery tank designs from the Cold War era is drawing large audiences. The piece explores why engineers built armored vehicles meant to fire nuclear shells on battlefields, detailing the enormous technical flaws that made the concept impractical. Viewers are debating whether the designs were serious weapons programs or propaganda, and comparing them with similar American projects of the same period.

An aging American Cold War-era spy satellite, nicknamed after actress Farrah Fawcett, has apparently broken apart in orbit, shedding debris in space. The incident has drawn attention because decaying old satellites can fragment and add to orbital debris, posing collision risks to active spacecraft. Observers are watching to see how much debris was created and whether other satellites need to adjust their paths.

East Germany's spy operations during the Cold War generated an estimated $4.6 billion for the country's struggling economy, according to a new analysis. The figure highlights how intelligence work, including the sale of secrets and industrial espionage, functioned as a significant economic activity for the German Democratic Republic alongside its political purposes.

A story is circulating about a spy credited with preventing nuclear war, based on a headline from KERA's Think program. The piece reportedly examines the role of intelligence work in defusing a nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Beyond the headline itself, no further details are available about the specific events, individuals involved, or reactions to the story.

Eritrea, long isolated internationally over sanctions and its human rights record, is working to rejoin the international community even as conflict involving Iran unsettles the wider Middle East region. Reuters reports that Asmara's efforts to end its diplomatic isolation are gaining attention against the backdrop of the ongoing war, with analysts watching whether Eritrea can normalize relations and reshape its role in regional geopolitics.