Today, former Soviet republics threaten to gain control over nuclear weapons sited on their territories, and reports on North Korea, Pakistan, India, and Iraq reveal current or recent weapon development programmes. In this climate, "Nuclear Proliferation after the Cold War" offers an assessment of the prospects for nuclear non-proliferation. Fourteen chapters cover three areas: case studies of countries and regions; influences of new technologies, some of which will actually help prevent the spread of nuclear weapons; and capabilities of existing institutions to meet new challenges. In his conclusion, Mitchell Reiss notes both non-proliferation progress and new instabilities in a world where power is more diffuse. The perception is spreading, Reiss believes, that nuclear weapons are "expensive and elaborate anachronisms", although some countries will nonetheless be tempted to acquire them. Government officials and non-proliferation experts in the United States and other countries, and graduate students and advanced undergraduates should find this volume especially useful. The 17 contributors are scholars, analysts, and officials from the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Author Biography

Mitchell Reiss is a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a consultant to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.