Unclear Physics Why Iraq and Libya Failed to Build Nuclear Weapons

Many authoritarian leaders want nuclear weapons, but few manage to acquire them. Autocrats seeking nuclear weapons fail in different ways and to varying degrees-Iraq almost managed it; Libya did not come close. InUnclear Physics, Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer compares the two failed nuclear weapons progr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Braut-Hegghammer, Målfrid
Format:	eBook Book
Language:	English
Published:	Ithaca ; London Cornell University Press 2016
Edition:	1
Series:	Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
Subjects:	HISTORY HISTORY / Military / Nuclear Warfare Hussein, Saddam, 1937-2006 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Iraq Libya Middle East MIDDLE EAST STUDIES Military Nuclear Warfare Nuclear weapons Nuclear weapons > Political aspects > Iraq Nuclear weapons > Political aspects > Libya nuclear weapons program Political aspects POLITICAL SCIENCE POLITICAL SCIENCE & POLITICAL HISTORY POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / Arms Control POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International) Qaddafi, Muammar Security (National & International) Middle East POLITICAL SCIENCE & POLITICAL HISTORY nuclear weapons program INTERNATIONAL STUDIES MIDDLE EAST STUDIES nuclear weapons Iraq Libya
ISBN:	1501702785, 9781501702785, 1501706454, 9781501706455, 9781501705908, 1501705903
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Many authoritarian leaders want nuclear weapons, but few manage to acquire them. Autocrats seeking nuclear weapons fail in different ways and to varying degrees-Iraq almost managed it; Libya did not come close. InUnclear Physics, Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer compares the two failed nuclear weapons programs, showing that state capacity played a crucial role in the trajectory and outcomes of both projects. Braut-Hegghammer draws on a rich set of new primary sources, collected during years of research in archives, fieldwork across the Middle East, and interviews with scientists and decision makers from both states. She gained access to documents and individuals that no other researcher has been able to consult. Her book tells the story of the Iraqi and Libyan programs from their origins in the late 1950s and 1960s until their dismantling. This book reveals contemporary perspectives from scientists and regime officials on the opportunities and challenges facing each project. Many of the findings challenge the conventional wisdom about clandestine weapons programs in closed authoritarian states and their prospects of success or failure. Braut-Hegghammer suggests that scholars and analysts ought to pay closer attention to how state capacity affects nuclear weapons programs in other authoritarian regimes, both in terms of questioning the actual control these leaders have over their nuclear weapons programs and the capability of their scientists to solve complex technical challenges.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN:	1501702785 9781501702785 1501706454 9781501706455 9781501705908 1501705903
DOI:	10.7591/9781501705908