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Malcolm M Craig

Lecturer in History, Liverpool John Moores University

BA (Hons) in History and Sociology, Glasgow Caledonian University, 1998. Masters by Research in History, Victoria University of Wellington, 2010. PhD in History, University of Edinburgh, 2014.

Broadly, my main research interests lie in US and UK foreign policy in the post-1945 period, with a particular focus on nuclear weapons and secret intelligence. In a recent article, I argued that – contrary to what we might believe to be the case – US nuclear non-proliferation policy in the 1970s and early 1980s was seldom influenced by fear of the so-called ‘Islamic bomb’. This was the idea that if one Muslim nation (for example, Pakistan) developed nuclear weapons, they would automatically share it with other Muslim nations because of the bonds of faith. Through my research, I’ve managed to demonstrate that such notions were set aside by US presidents and senior foreign policy makers.

This kind of stuff has a direct impact on the world around us. The idea of the ‘Islamic bomb’ still infects media reporting on the nuclear activities of Iran and Pakistan. Yet, it’s always been something of a myth. So why does it persist? That’s what my current research focuses on, looking at how the ‘Islamic bomb’ idea (or meme, if you prefer) evolved during the 1980s, the 1990s, and into the 2000s.

I've also researched and published on issues of official secrecy and the media. In particular, I examined the efforts of the Thatcher government to suppress or censor BBC programming about the secret intelligence services in the early 1980s.

Global Geopolitics Series

Where did the idea of an 'Islamic bomb' come from?

Feb 09, 2017 14:06 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The heavily freighted idea of an Islamic bomb has been around for some decades now. The notion behind it is that a nuclear weapon developed by an Islamic nation would automatically become the Islamic worlds shared property...

Trump's US could give up the fight to stop nuclear arms from spreading

Nov 16, 2016 23:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views

With a few notable exceptions, Democratic and Republican presidents alike have generally tried to restrain if not reverse nuclear proliferation since nuclear weapons came into existence. But in the era of Donald Trump,...

Economy

BOJ Rate Decision in Focus as Sticky Inflation, Weak Yen Shape USD/JPY and Nikkei Outlook

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1% when it concludes its two-day policy meeting on July 31, despite persistent inflation and continued weakness in the Japanese...

Asian Stocks Slip as Fed Holds Rates, Samsung Earnings Fail to Lift AI Sentiment

Most Asian stock markets declined on Thursday as investor concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) spending continued to pressure technology shares, overshadowing strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and upbeat...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady After Fed Decision as Dollar Finds Support

Asian currencies traded in narrow ranges on Thursday as investors assessed the U.S. Federal Reserves decision to keep interest rates unchanged while Fed Chair Kevin Warsh reinforced the central banks commitment to bringing...

Fed Holds Rates Steady as US Dollar Slides, Euro and Yen Gain

The U.S. dollar recorded its biggest one-day decline in nearly four weeks on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, easing concerns that policymakers could unexpectedly tighten monetary policy....

Asian Stocks Tumble as Tech Selloff Deepens Ahead of Fed Decision, Big Tech Earnings

Asian stock markets posted steep losses on Wednesday as a sharp technology sector selloff continued for a second day, with South Korea leading regional declines ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserves policy announcement and...

Politics

Lebanon Lawyers Seek Probe Into Banker Over Alleged Netanyahu Dinner in Washington

A group of Lebanese lawyers has filed a legal complaint urging the countrys top prosecutor to investigate prominent banker Antoun Sehnaoui over allegations that he co-hosted a dinner in Washington attended by Israeli Prime...

U.S. Launches Air Strikes on Iran After Alleged Missile Attack on American Forces

The United States launched air strikes against targets in Iran on Wednesday night, marking a sharp escalation in tensions across the Middle East following what Washington described as an attempted Iranian attack on U.S....

New Jewish-Arab Party Seeks Young Voters Ahead of Israel Election Amid Debate Over Arab Vote

A newly formed Jewish-Arab political party is aiming to attract younger voters ahead of Israels October 27 parliamentary election, but critics argue its emergence could divide the Arab vote and strengthen Prime Minister...

Oman Proposes Strait of Hormuz Plan as U.S. Rejects Iran Shipping Fee Idea

Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf-backed proposal to help manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including a system of voluntary contributions from vessels, according to Reuters sources. The initiative aims to...

Ukraine F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes During Mission, Pilot Ejects Safely

Ukraines Air Force confirmed on Wednesday that one of its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets crashed while carrying out a combat mission, although the pilot survived after successfully ejecting from the aircraft. According to a...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Sony Eyes $1.3 Billion Tamron Acquisition as Lens Maker Reviews Offer

Tamron (TYO:7740) confirmed Thursday that it has received a non-binding acquisition proposal from Sony (TYO:6758), following reports that the potential deal could be worth approximately 200 billion yen ($1.3 billion). The...

Samsung Q2 Profit Surges on AI Memory Chip Demand, Forecasts Strong Second Half

Samsung Electronics reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by soaring demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips as global investment in AI infrastructure continued to accelerate. For the...

Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov With Facilitating Terrorism, Seeks International Arrest

Russia has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, accusing the messaging platform of being used by Ukrainian intelligence services to recruit operatives and organize attacks...

Meta Stock Drops After Earnings Miss as AI Spending and Legal Costs Weigh on Profit

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) shares fell 8% in after-hours trading after the social media giant reported second-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street expectations and issued weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue...

Microsoft Stock Jumps as Azure Growth, AI Revenue Beat Expectations

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) shares surged more than 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the technology giant reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, delivered robust Azure cloud growth, and reaffirmed its...