Are New Nuclear Bargains Attainable?
Policy makers have returned to the debate over whether and how total nuclear disarmament should take place. The notion that preventing the spread o… (More) Policy makers have returned to the debate over whether and how total nuclear disarmament should take place. The notion that preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is much harder without also reducing their number seems to be motivating much of this interest. Consequently, officials in both the United States and other nuclear-weapon states hope that in direct exchange for renewed action on disarmament, non–nuclear-weapon states will support nonproliferation efforts. Such quid pro quo bargains are going nowhere fast because nuclear-weapon states and their non-nuclear counterparts are talking past each other. Nuclear weapon states fail to understand that these “bargains” are not seen as fair exchanges by non–nuclear-weapon states in light of long overdue and unfulfilled promises made by nuclear-weapon states.
