Publication

This paper examines preventive war as a strategy for countering threats presented by the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons to terrorists and rogue states. The author's central findings are that preventive attacks are generally unsuccessful at delaying the spread of NBC weapons; that deterrence, especially nuclear deterrence, is highly successful at preventing the use of NBC weapons by states; and that diplomacy has had moderate and perhaps unappreciated success at curtailing the spread of NBC weapons.