ISA 2013 Panel on Continuity and Change in Nuclear Diplomacy: "Friends Don’t Let Friends Proliferate: Credibility, Security Assurances, and Allied Nuclear Proliferation"

Over the past decade, the question of how to prevent nuclear proliferation in both the Middle East and East Asia has gained significant urgency. Apparently in part due to Iran’s progress towards acquiring a nuclear weapons breakout capability and North Korea’s acquisition of rudimentary nuclear weapons, several U.S. allies and friendly states appear to be at least opening the door to potential future pursuit of nuclear weapons. In the Middle East, for example, concerns have arisen over Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s decisions to bolster their civil nuclear infrastructures, with many viewing these moves as motivated at least in part by a desire to hedge their bets against Iran.