For decades, countries have pursued nuclear weapons by taking many different paths toward or away from the bomb. Those paths have been difficult to predict because they are defined not by security or wealth, but by the decisions leaders make to accelerate or reverse their nuclear weapons programs. Nuclear decisions are made within a complex political information environment that affects how security concerns and the value of a nuclear weapons program are understood. By examining nine fascinating country case histories, this book elucidates the key factors that shape the decision-making environment.

Lisa Langdon Koch is Assistant Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College.

• Acknowledgements


• Chapter 1: Introduction to Nuclear Decisions


• Chapter 2: Proliferation Curves


• Chapter 3: A Theory of Nuclear Decision-Making


• Chapter 4: Changing Proliferation Environments across the Nuclear Age .


• Chapter 5: The Permissive Period: The Soviet Union, France, and Israel


• Chapter 6: The Transition Period: Sweden, South Korea, and India


• Chapter 7: The Nonproliferation Regime Period: Pakistan, South Africa, and Brazil


• Chapter 8: Changing the Course of Nuclear Weapons Programs


• References


• Appendix