Publication

This paper argues that the US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released in January 2002, is a severe setback in the process of multilateral arms control. The NPR indicates that the US will keep nuclear weapons at the heart of its military planning and calls for a flexible force posture to any and all emerging threats. Over time, authors argue that loyalty to the Non-Proliferation-Treaty (NPT) will wane and a larger number of states may begin to acquire nuclear weapons to solve their own security problems. Such proliferation would increase the chances of a regional nuclear war– whether by accident or design– in the next half century.