About Globatom

     Nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to our planet. These weapons, if used, can exterminate our species. In recent years, new countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have signaled interest in acquiring an independent nuclear arsenal. Others, such as Iran, and Japan, have maintained a latent nuclear capability that allows them to weaponize in a short period. The expansion of commercial nuclear power, which is forecasted to double in the next 30 years, has the potential to increase proliferation. An enlargement of the nuclear club would increase the likelihood of nuclear war, which is why understanding the causes and dynamics of nuclear proliferation is imperative. 

     Over the past 15 years, political scientists have revolutionized the study of proliferation by introducing new analytical tools and drawing on large datasets. We now have a better picture of the demand side of proliferation, why countries want nuclear weapons and how they build these arsenals, and the supply side of proliferation, why nuclear suppliers offer atomic assistance. However, no study has examined the interaction of supply and demand to date. This project seeks to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the various avenues countries use to acquire nuclear technology and the role these pathways play in the spread of nuclear weapons.

The project focuses on three question areas:

1. Which strategies have facilitated the globalization of the atom?
2. Why do some countries manage to obtain nuclear weapons while others try and fail?
3. How can growing demand for nuclear power be satisfied without enabling proliferation?

     The project will contribute to understanding nuclear proliferation by showing how each country used distinctive pathways to acquire nuclear technology. This analysis can provide a template for discerning low-risk nuclear programs from high-risk ones. It can thus enable decision-makers to better deploy resources in national and international counter-proliferation efforts and, therefore, avoid costly foreign confrontations and slow the proliferation of nuclear weapons.