The Nonproliferation Regime Period

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines nuclear decisions in Pakistan, South Africa, and Brazil. The nonproliferation regime period began in the aftermath of the shock of India’s 1974 nuclear fission test. The response from the international community led to the deepening, and later expansion, of the nonproliferation regime. In each of the three cases, anticipation of the future effects of the regime and opposition to what country elites viewed as discrimination by the nuclear weapons states affected state behavior. The influence of the military affected nuclear decision-making in Pakistan and Brazil, while the nuclear scientific organization was more influential in South Africa. Both Pakistan and South Africa succeeded in producing a nuclear arsenal, while Brazil’s leaders never made the decision to weaponize.