Opaque Nuclear Strategy

Abstract

Since World War II, countries have pursued nuclear weapons because of their destructive power and influence as well as their deterrence value. At the same time, the great powers tried to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation. In this situation, the nuclear weapons development programs of South Africa and Israel still succeeded, but these countries did not publicize their nuclear capabilities. Why did these not disclose their nuclear weapons capabilities even if disclosure could strengthen deterrence of threats against them? This thesis examines three possible variablessecurity, norms, and domestic politicsto find the answer. All these factors impacted those countries ambiguous nuclear weapons strategies, but the United States role was most influential in how Israel and South Africa shaped those strategies. This research may contribute to better understanding possible policies of potential nuclear weapons armed states, especially in Northeast Asia

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1053132

Entities

People

  • Soonwoo Choi

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Arms Control
  • Civil War
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Conflicts
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • International Security
  • Military Organizations
  • National Politics
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • South Africa
  • Treaties
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies