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Unclear physics: why Iraq and Libya failed to build nuclear weapons

2017; Oxford University Press; Volume: 93; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/ia/iix037

1468-2346

Matthew Jones,

Space exploration and regulation

In addition to exploring why certain states seek to develop nuclear weapons (and why some choose not to pursue such an option), a key question for those interested in nuclear proliferation is why some weapons programmes—despite the aspirations of strong political leaders with apparently ample resources under their command—did not succeed, or were stymied, in reaching their goals. The invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, followed by Muammar Gaddafi's decision at the end of the same year to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction programmes, provided much new evidence for tackling this important issue. Both Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Gaddafi's Libya had nuclear ambitions, and invested considerable time and effort in order to fulfil them, but both fell short of ultimate success. Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer's path-breaking first book, which uses a wide array of new materials, including interviews with leading scientists and officials involved with the Iraqi and Libyan programmes, sets out to examine their trajectories and internal dynamics. In doing so, she makes a major contribution to the burgeoning field of international nuclear history—which in recent years has moved away from a concentration on the familiar US, Soviet and British stories—as well as to the theoretical literature in security and proliferation studies.